Fate of the Ninja
by Champster
Summary: Set 20 years after the events of Tekken 6 and Dead or Alive 5, a young ninja of the Mugen Tenshin Clan discovers a dark secret that makes him the primary target of the Mishima Zaibatsu, G Corporation, and MIST, three of the most dangerous corporations in the world.
1. Prologue

**Tekken is owned by Bandai Namco**

 **Dead or Alive is owned by Koei Tecmo**

 **For anyone not familiar with the storyline of the Tekken and Dead or Alive series, this chapter contains a lot of spoilers.**

* * *

 **Background**

Decades ago, many martial artists around the world have competed in tournaments known as the King of Iron Fist for leadership of the infamous Mishima Zaibatsu. But no matter what, the conglomerate has always been ruled by none other than the Mishimas, the very people who created it. For a long time, Heihachi Mishima ruled the Mishima Zaibatsu with an iron fist for over 40 years. However, there have been a few who have managed to take it from him. His son, Kazuya Mishima, briefly controlled the Mishima Zaibatsu for 2 years until Heihachi reclaimed it. Years later, Heihachi would lose the conglomerate again, this time to his own father Jinpachi Mishima, who was also its creator. However, Jinpachi himself would lose it to Jin Kazama, the son of Kazuya Mishima.

Jin Kazama grew up under his mother Jun Kazama and had a normal life but at age 15, things changed. Jun turns up missing during an unfortunate incident and Jin (taking his mother's advice) went to his grandfather Heihachi. Unfortunately, things did not turn out any better. The power of the dark supernatural genetic abnormality known as the Devil Gene awoke from within Jin, turning him into a devil. This trait was taken from his father Kazuya, who gained it after selling his soul to the devil in order to get back at Heihachi for throwing him off a cliff as a child and scarring him. Therefore, the family tradition of father against son continues throughout all generations.

However, Jin deeply opposes evil, especially those of the Mishima bloodline so he takes it upon himself to end the bloodline and anything else associated with it. Therefore, the many people that knew him the best were shocked at his actions after he took over the Mishima Zaibatsu. During his reign, Jin declared war on all nations in order to draw out the evil demon known as Azazel, which is believed to be the creator of the Devil Gene. After the events that follows, Jin is not seen again. This was perhaps worse than anything Kazuya, Heihachi, or Jinpachi has ever done and in many people's eyes, just further proof that the Mishimas are the most evil family in the world.

Among those was one of its many rivals known as DOATEC (Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee), an international weapons research and development company which was originally headed by the rich and famous Fame Douglas. However, Douglas was assassinated and the company's leadership went to his eldest daughter Helena Douglas. But the majority of the leadership was controlled by a mysterious man known as Victor Donovan. Donovan would use DOATEC to kidnap and experiment on many fighters around the world. His main target has been Kasumi, the runaway shinobi of Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan, which is a secret society of ninjas located in the mountains of Japan.

After she was kidnapped by DOATEC, Kasumi's DNA was used to create many clones but eventually manages to fight her way to safety and escape, thanks to the legendary super ninja Ryu Hayabusa. Together with her brother Hayate and half-sister Ayane, Kasumi managed to foil Donovan's plans, even after he continued his schemes through a new company known as MIST.

However, Kasumi's life as a runaway shinobi also makes her a target of her own clan. This puts a strain on her relationship with her family, especially her brother Hayate, who is torn between his duties as the clan's leader and his closeness to his sister. Therefore, in the meantime, Kasumi remains on the run where as Hayate hopes that she will come back to the village.

* * *

 **Present Day**

It has now been 20 years since MIST'S fall and Azazel's defeat. The war between Heihachi and Kazuya still continues, with Heihachi once again heading the Mishima Zaibatsu while Kazuya head his own company, G Corporation. Jin Kazama is believed to be dead by many people, however, his declaration of war still remains a big topic around the world to this day. Helena's DOATEC is now focused on entertainment while Donovan's MIST continues to pursue fighters around the world to create a new batch of super soldiers and to overthrow all three companies. Kasumi's village of the Mugen Tenshin Clan continues to be headed by Hayate, who now trains the new generation of ninjas.

One of those new members is a young man named Kazuki. Brought into the village as an infant, Kazuki was raised by Ayame and Shiden (the parents of Kasumi and Hayate) and has now become a top rank ninja at the young age of 19. Not only is he trained by Hayate but has also learned a lot from his mentor Ryu Hayabusa. However, despite living a rather normal life, there has been many unanswered questions that Kazuki has often wondered. These questions are far more important to his life style than he can imagine.

Every once a year, Kazuki receives a visit from a mysterious woman whose name is never mentioned to him. Yet despite this, he grows fund of the woman, feeling deeply connected to her. He doesn't understand this feeling nor does he have any idea why she only comes to visit him. He has asked Hayate and Ayane a few times but both refuse to answer. He has also asked Ayame and Shiden a few times but to no avail. Now as he's older, Kazuki is more determined to know the truth and for the first time in years, he approaches Hayate during a bright sunny day in the forest.

"Master Hayate?" said Kazuki.

"Kazuki?" said Hayate as he turns around.

"I…know I have asked this question before…and you always tell me to not worry about it but I feel that there has to be a reason why you will not tell me who that woman is. The one who comes to this village every once a year."

"Kazuki, we've been over this already; the moment she leaves this village is the moment you stop worrying about her and remain focus on your own life."

"She has become a big part of my life now, which is why I have a right to know."

"Your life has been going just fine. You have rose to become my best pupil…and you are sure to become the next master of this clan someday. What does knowing her name has to do with any of that?"

Kazuki looks at the ground in anger. Having been turned down many times for whenever he has asked this question, he has now become frustrated. It is obvious to him that Hayate knows who she is but cannot think of any reason for why he would keep this a secret from him.

During the conversation, Ayane drops in, catching Kazuki by surprise.

"It's just as your master says; you've accomplished so much in your life." said Ayane. "Don't worry about such little things like that. It's not worth it."

Kazuki turns around, as if to walk away. "There has to be more to my life than just this clan." he said. "Apparently, I can't figure it out by just staying here. I'll find my answers somewhere else then, even if I have to leave this village!" He starts to leave until he hears Ayane's voice.

"Kazuki!" she yelled.

"You know what happens if you leave this village, don't you?" said Hayate. "You'll have to be eliminated by our clan. Do you honestly think it's worth becoming a runaway shinobi just to find out about someone's name? I don't believe that that would make her happy at all."

Kazuki begins to think deeply about his actions. Having been turned down once again, the anger keeps growing and after considering leaving the village for the first time, Kazuki has to take a deep breath and calm himself down.

"Alright, Master Hayate!" he said. "I will remain focused…to the very end!"

"Good!" said Hayate.

Despite those words, Hayate and Ayane know that Kazuki is reaching his breaking point but they remain silent on this subject. It's something they have to do.

Elsewhere, Heihachi Mishima orders an attack on Violet Systems, a company is owned by his adopted son Lee Chaolan.

"They've become more than a distraction in my eyes." said Heihachi. "It's time we end this with them until we take out our real targets."

The Tekken Force raids the robotic facility of the company, attacking numerous people, with intention of finding it's owner Lee. However, unexpectedly, all of the members run into a certain person that stops them all in their tracks. Through the camera of one of his men, Heihachi sees each member being defeated by a familiar figure. Finally, Heihachi gets a closer look at the man's face.

The man is Jin Kazama.

"So you are still alive?" he says. He then smiles a little. "You're just as stubborn as your father, not knowing when to quit…or when to die. But you will know soon."

Heihachi stands tall as his body emits a lightning glow around him. Despite having to be in his 90s by now, Heihachi mysteriously appears to be decades younger.

"Then it'll be Kazuya."

To Be Continued.


	2. Secret Revealed

**Secret Revealed**

At G Corporation's headquarters, its CEO, the powerful and feared Kazuya Mishima sits in his chair, thinking about the next strategy to take down his father, Heihachi. Every since the day his father through him off a cliff at a young age, Kazuya swore vengeance against him and willingly sold his soul to the devil just to make sure. But for years, Kazuya has been unable to gain full power and the only way he can do that is by taking the rest of the Devil Gene power from his son, Jin Kazama.

At first, it was believed that Jin was dead. However, few have doubted this and Kazuya is no exception. Therefore, when news begins to spread that Jin Kazama is alive, Kazuya forms a cocky smirk and simply says "I knew it."

With Heihachi reversing his age, Kazuya knows that he can still be a threat to him if he only has just half of his power. But with Jin alive after all, Kazuya now believes that he has more of a chance of defeating his father.

"Jin being alive benefits me more than it does Heihachi." said Kazuya. "Now it's just a matter of time before that he sets up his next trap. As smart as he thinks he is, he never realizes that I'm one step ahead of him…because I know him that well."

News about Jin being alive begins to spread worldwide, as he resides at Violet System's headquarters. With this new revelation, talks about his declaration of war against the world 20 years ago begins to surface again and therefore, news doesn't sit well for some people. Others close to Jin, such as Lars Alexandersson (the illegitmate son of Heihachi), are more than happy that he's alive, as Lars believes that Jin is the only one who can stop Kazuya and Heihachi.

"It's great to know that you're alive, Jin." said Lars. "Now we know there's still hope for this world."

Jin looks at the Devil Gene mark on his arm for a moment and says "So many people have died because I tried to get rid of this. You call that hope?"

"Jin, you don't have to feel that way." said Lars. "We understand why you did that."

"It was all for nothing. I don't blame anybody for hating me for it. I deserve it."

"Then what are you going to do now?"

"The only thing that's left now is to take down Heihachi and Kazuya and accept whatever punishment I get, even if it means death."

"So you have a death wish, I take it?"

"I thought that defeating Azazel would get rid of the Devil Gene but as you can see, I still have it. That means that everything I did was for nothing. Those lives...I've costed so many innocent lives for something that didn't work. Anyone who does such a thing deserves to die!"

Lars shakes his head at Jin and then turns around and walks away, saying "We must first focus on Kazuya and Heihachi. Don't forget that."

But Jin clearly does not believe him and looks back at his arm again before angrily clenching his fist.

The following day, a nationwide broadcast is shown all over the world. It's a video of Heihachi Mishima, sitting at his headquarters of the Mishima Zaibatsu.

 _Greetings, everyone. As you all may know by now, I am Heihachi Mishima, the current owner of the Mishima Zaibatsu and I have message for all fighters in the world! The King of Iron Fist Tournament is back!_

Many people around world watch announcement. Jin, Lars, and Lee are all not surprised. Helena Douglas of DOATEC watches calmly at her place. The mysterious Victor Donovan of MIST watches it as well from his own headquarters.

This announcement was just what Kazuya had expected. It was the "trap" Heihachi made to lure him and Jin out. But each tournament gives Kazuya an opportunity to defeat Heihachi.

* * *

 **Mugen Tenshin Village**

In the Mugen Tenshin village located within the mountains of Japan, Hayate, master of the ninja clan, has a very serious discussion with his half-sister Ayane, master of the clan's Hajimon sect.

"We've kept this a secret for a long time, Hayate." said Ayane. "I think it's time that we tell him."

"I will not change my mind, Ayane!" said Hayate. "As difficult as it is, I'm standing by my word, no matter what. Our clan has been through enough already. This will just add more to it."

"I know…" Ayane turns around and closes her eyes, saying "but this just doesn't seem right anymore and I don't want to be a part of it. It's…too big to keep secret about." Hayate notices that Ayane begins to look sad.

"Ayane…are you saying this because it's very much like your own past?"

"Yes." said Ayane as she opens her eyes.

"Then think back to what happened that day." said Hayate. "It can happen to Kazuki too. Always remember that"

Meanwhile, inside of the house, Kazuki has approached Ayame and Shiden with the same question. Although they raised Kazuki since he was an infant, they also refuse to tell him about the woman who visits the village every once a year.

"There must be some reason why no one is telling me." said Kazuki. "Can you…at least tell me why? You two have raised me from a baby. You are the closest things to parents that I have. Why is this such a difficult situation for you?"

"I'm sorry, Kazuki." says Ayame. "We cannot discuss that. Just be grateful that you have someone like her in your life. That is all that matters"

"But it's not enough." said Kazuki. "I must know who she is or I will never be completely satisfied with my life."

"Kazuki!" said Shiden. "That woman brings you nothing but happiness and you know it. How can you say that's not enough?"

"Fine!" said Kazuki. "It looks like I may have to find my answers somewhere else." He angrily storms out of the house, as Ayame and Shiden look at each other in sadness.

A short while later, Kazuki stands in a nearby forest and contemplates leaving the clan. But he is well aware of the consequences that comes with that and wonders if it would be worth it.

"Still haven't found the answers that you're looking for." says a male voice.

It was Ryu Hayabusa, the ninja master of Hayabusa clan.

"Hayabusa-sama?" said Kazuki.

"And yet, your determination grows just as much as you do. You must learn to control your emotions before they control you. How far will you go in order to find your answers, Kazuki?"

"As far as I need to go. If nobody will tell me what I want to know, I'll find out on my own and I will not let anything stand in my way."

"Then can you pass me?" Hayabusa assumes his fighting stance. This confuses Kazuki, who is well aware of his mentor's skill but has never even challenged, let alone fought, him before.

"Remember what you just said; you will not let anything stand in your way. As of right now, the only thing that is standing between you and the truth is me, so if you want to know what it is, you must earn it…by proving how strong you are to me first."

Those words may have been just enough to motivate Kazuki, as his expression goes from a confused look to a more determined one. Without any words, Kazuki assumes his own fighting stance.

With lightning speed, Hayabusa dashes forward with his hit clashing with Kazuki's. Kazuki is forced to block Hayabusa's hits but can still feel the forces of his attacks. Kazuki attempts to attack but Hayabusa quickly teleports behind him and strikes him in the back. This knocks Kazuki down but he quickly gets up, attempting to attack Hayabusa again but fails to land. He continues to try to land hits until Hayabusa lands his own, hitting Kazuki with a combination of hits to the chest before finishing with a spinning kick that knocks him down. Hayabusa attempts to attack him while he's on the ground but Kazuki counters with a kick to the chin and rolls back to his feet. As Hayabusa throws another spinning kick, Kazuki blocks it and counters with a jumping knee to the face, knocking Hayabusa down. The two exchange blows at high speeds before being separated. Hayabusa dashes forward with lightning speed again and teleports behind Kazuki but Kazuki counters with an elbow to the chest and throws him over his shoulder but Hayabusa lands on his feet. Kazuki attempts a dive kick while Hayabusa has his back turned but it's quickly avoided as Hayabusa teleports away in a short distance. Kazuki is ready to keep going but for Hayabusa, the fight is over.

"You have become so strong, Kazuki." said Hayabusa. "Fighting you reminds me of fighting Hayate."

"But you were holding back." said Kazuki.

"It does not matter. What matters is that you have proven yourself to be a strong warrior. That's all it will take to find the truth you've wanted all these years. Now listen closely Kazuki. I am only going to say this once so make sure you pay attention. Remember that the truth can be very difficult to handle."

Kazuki stands straight to prepare himself. "Alright, Hayabusa-sama. I'm listening."

"The woman who comes to visit you every once a year…that woman is your mother Kasumi."

This new revelation strikes Kazuki like lightning. His eyes wide, his mouth open, and his body is completely still.

"My…my…my mother?" he says in a low voice, almost as if he can hardly talk. "She's…really my mother?

"Yes, Kazuki, she is." said Hayabusa. "The woman that brings you happiness every year...is the one who gave birth to you. She brought you to the village right after you were born. There's more to it than that but in order for you to find out, you must do that on your own. I have done my part here. With your determination and willingness to fight, I am sure will find out the rest on your own."

"She's…my…wait a minute!" Suddenly, his expression changes as if something else occurred. "You said her name is Kasumi? But isn't that the name of the runaway shinobi that the clan has been hunting all these years?"

But he quickly realizes that Hayabusa has vanished.

For some minutes, Kazuki remains in the forest, thinking about what he was just told and tries to figure out why this was kept a secret. Did they not want him to know that his mother is on the run? And if she is on the run, then how is she allowed in the village at all?

Kazuki must find some more answers.

To Be Continued.


	3. The Origins of Kazuki

**The Origins of Kazuki**

Kasumi,

The Runaway Shinobi,

The Kunoichi of Destiny,

The Mother of Kazuki.

After being told by Ryu Hayabusa that this was the woman who sees him every once a year, Kazuki knows that there is more to it than that. After spinning several minutes in the forest by himself, Kazuki decides to approaches Hayate and Ayane and informs them of what he knows.

"The woman who visits this village every year…the runaway shinobi…why wouldn't tell me that she was my mother?" said Kazuki.

"Ryu told you that, did he not?" said Hayate.

There is long pause as Kazuki refuses to answer. He is well aware of the friendship between the two and doesn't want to risk destroying it.

"If he did tell you…I am not surprised." Hayate continued as he folds his arms. "Hayabusa cares about you too."

"Why, Hayate?" said Kazuki. "Why have you kept this a secret from me all these years? And when did you expect me to know? After we kill her?"

"How dare you ask that, Kazuki?" said Ayane.

"Anybody who leaves the village becomes a runaway shinobi…which means that they will have to be killed by the clan as punishment. Here I am…part of a clan that has to kill my mother…without even knowing it. How cold can you be?"

"Kazuki, that's enough!" Ayane angrily says.

"Would you stop for a moment?" said Hayate. "You have it all wrong. I may have duties as leader of this clan but I've never wanted my sister killed. The reason we did not tell you about her is because she didn't want you to know, Kazuki."

"She…didn't want me to know?" said Kazuki. "But why?"

"It was a promise that we kept to her that night."

* * *

 **19 years ago**

Right outside of the entrance to the Mugen Tenshin village, Kasumi gets stopped by a group of ninjas while she holds her baby. It appears that they are about to attack but until Hayate and Ayane appears and orders them to back down.

"Hayate!" said Kasumi. "Thank goodness you are here."

"What are you doing here, Kasumi?". said Hayate. "You know how dangerous it is to be here…and why are you bringing an infant child here as well?"

"Please, Hayate, I want him to stay in this village. It's too dangerous for him to be out there."

"Out of all the places in the world, why do you bring him here?" said Ayane.

"Because he's my son." said Kasumi.

This shocks both Hayate and Ayane, rendering them speechless for a few moments.

"Your…son?" said Ayane.

"Yes, this is my son Kazuki." said Kasumi. "I love him so much and I want nothing more than for him to have a happy, normal life."

"You betray your clan, then you have a child with someone outside of the clan…and now you expect your clan to help you with this? Why do you think we should help you now?"

"Because this isn't about me, Ayane. This is about him." Kasumi looks at her baby's eyes as her own eyes begins to tear up. "As his mother, I must make sure that his life is in good hands…and as a family, we should all do this together for the sake of his future." She holds her baby out to her sister. "Please?"

Ayane has no words. She looks at Hayate, who nods as if to allow it before she slowly takes her nephew out of Kasumi's arms. She looks at the baby herself and slowly begins to smile.

"Promise me." said Kasumi. "Promise that you'll keep him safe from anything outside of the village…and to never tell him who I am. I don't want him to know about my status as a runaway shinobi. It would worry him, I'm sure of it."

"Understood." said Hayate. "We will make sure he's safe. I'm sure our mother would be happy to be with her grandson. She's one person I can count on to raise him the right way."

"Thank you." said Kasumi. "I must leave now. Please, remember your promise to me."

"Kasumi? Wait!" said Hayate just as Kasumi is about to leave. "I don't want you to be completely separated from your son. I'm sure even you wouldn't want that. Therefore, I'll allow you to visit him every once a year to be part of his life and watch him as he grows up."

"You mean it?" says a smiling and teary-eyed Kasumi. "Oh, Hayate! Thank you so very much!"

"Now hurry, Kasumi. You can't be seen here by the others."

"Alright! I'm off." Kasumi quickly leaves the area as Hayate and Ayane watches her.

"Come on, Ayane." said Hayate. "Let's take him to our mother. It's very dark out here."

"Right!" said Ayane.

* * *

 **Present Day**

"And that's why we didn't tell you." said Hayate. "For years we kept our promise to her and never told you who she was."

"I see." said Kazuki as folds his arms. "So she's my mother. Heh! And all these years, I never would have guessed that you two were also my uncle and aunt. You two treated me just like any other member of this clan."

"If we had treated you any differently, it would have most certainly raised questions and you probably would have found out even sooner. We couldn't risk that."

Kazuki nods to show his understanding while Ayane looks at him as if she's disturbed by something. She begins to think back on her past when she didn't know who her own mother was until she was 16. This new revelation sparked a rivalry between her and Kasumi, her childhood friend who turned out to be her half-sister, due to having the same mother Ayame. While Ayane was treated like an outcast and cursed child, Kasumi was treated like a princess. Despite this, the two have fought together to take down their common enemies, such as Victor Donovan. Kazuki's past brings back memories of her own, memories that she has tried to forget.

"Well, I must say that I'm not comfortable with knowing that my mother is targeted by our clan." said Kazuki. "But I am glad that you gave me the opportunity to know her, to know that she is a person who I love. Maybe it was that mother-son connection that I didn't know about."

Kazuki then unfolds his arms.

"However, now that I know who my mother is, what about my father?"

After those words, Hayate and Ayane briefly look at each other, as they didn't expect to hear that.

"I have been thinking about this before I came here. While I didn't know that it was my mother who came to this village this whole time, I don't think that I could have met my father at all. If he was here in this village, I don't think he would have kept that a secret from me and there are no other runaway shinobis besides my mother. So, I don't think he's part of this clan. I guess only she knows, right?"

"Kazuki." said Hayate. "Here is something that I'm going to tell you; you now know who your mother is after all these years but as far as who your father is, you won't get your answers from here…or from Ryu."

"Why not?"

"As you just said, your father has nothing to do with this clan. Therefore, if you really want to know who he is, you must find out outside of this village."

"How can I possibly do that?"

"By entering The King of Iron Fist tournament."

"What? You mean that new tournament announced by the Mishima Zaibatsu? What does that have to do with anything?"

"That's something you're going to have to find out on your own, Kazuki. Or you could just not enter the tournament and forget about the whole thing. It's up to you."

Kazuki looks at the ground and thinks for a moment. Like many people around the world, he too is familiar with the infamous Mishima Zaibatsu and its ongoing war against G Corporation.

"I don't think he's ready for that tournament, Hayate." said Ayane. "A competition like that is too stiff for someone like him. He'll just lose."

"What?" said Kazuki.

"You're right, Ayane." said Hayate. "Kazuki may not be strong enough to win the tournament. Maybe it's best that he does forget about it."

"Wait a second!" said Kazuki. "I thought you said that I was your best pupil so what makes you think that I'm not ready for this?"

"Because you have yet to prove it." said Hayate. "In order for you to do that, you must take on the both of us...at the same time."

"What?" said Kazuki. "Why?"

"If you can't do that, then you don't deserve to enter the tournament." said Ayane. "This is your chance to earn your place in that tournament. So, what do you say?"

Kazuki looks down for a moment to think briefly on this situation before assuming his fighting style and saying "Alright, I'll do it! After all these years, I'm more willing to prove myself to my superiors. Let's go!"

Kazuki stands ready to face off against Hayate and Ayane in a nearby forest area. He starts with a quick combination of punches and kicks but Hayate avoids it and eventually counters by catching Kazuki's leg and lands a few spinning kicks to his face, knocking him down. Ayane attempts to follow up with a high-flying stomp but Kazuki quickly avoids it and stands up. He blocks a combination of punches and kicks while on the backfoot. Hayate kicks but Kazuki catches his leg, jumps up in the air and hits Hayate with a knee before coming down with an elbow that knocks him down. Before Kazuki can attack a down Hayate, Ayane kicks him in the back and off of Hayate. They both charge forward at Kazuki again with a combination of punches and kicks. He blocks Hayate's kick but gets hit in the stomach by Ayane's, in which Hayate follows up with another hard kick to the face. Ayane trips a stunned Kazuki but he stands back up immediately. Hayate charges forward at Kazuki and their fists collide, causing a shockwave. Hayate attempts another hit but Kazuki catches his hand and knocks him away with a hard palm shot. Ayane attempts her own attack on Kazuki but he teleports behind her and strikes her in the back with an elbow shot, knocking her down. Kazuki evades a dashing kick from Hayate, who lands next to Ayane as she stands up. However, both realize that Kazuki has vanished and before they can do anything, they're both hit in the back by Kazuki's open handed shots. After they turn around, there is short cool off until Kazuki charges forward. He blocks Ayane's kick but gets hit in the stomach by Hayate. Ayane then jumps to Kazuki's back, lays down on the ground, and flips Kazuki over her head and into Hayate's fist.

Clearly hurt by the attack, Kazuki slowly stands up. He's hurt, tired, and his sight fading as if to lose consciousness but determined to the very end, he remains standing. As Hayate and Ayane attempt to finish him off, Kazuki, using as much as strength as he can, charges them with a two close-line. However, although they are hit this attack, they catch both of his arms and toss him away. However, Kazuki successfully lands on his feet and turns around, appearing ready to continue.

"That's enough, Kazuki!" says Hayate as he stands up straight. "This is where we stop!"

"What?" said Kazuki.

"This was a test to see how well you would do in a real fight. You've proven to not only be strong but also determined. If you keep all of that with you, then perhaps you do have a chance of winning that tournament."

Kazuki then looks at his hands, as if even he couldn't believe how strong he's become. "Am I…really that strong?"

"Don't get cocky." said Ayane. "There are other strong fighters like you in the world and they're going to be entering that tournament too. You could still lose if you're not focused."

"Understood." said Kazuki. "I'll make sure that I'm 100% ready when I enter that tournament and nothing less. I promise I will!"

"Good." said Hayate. "Until then, prepare yourself. Don't let anything get in the way of your goals."

Kazuki bows to his uncle and aunt and says "I will. Thank you."

* * *

 **DOATEC Tritowers**

Earlier that same day at the DOATEC Tritowers, Helena Douglas sees the announcement of the new King of Iron Fist Tournament by Heihachi Mishima. For years, Helena's late father Fame Douglas wanted DOATEC to become a bigger company than the Mishima Zaibatsu. Heihachi saw the company as a threat but rather than trying to take it down, he instead wanted the image of a more successful company business wise. Twenty-two years ago, when Heihachi announced the the third King of Iron Fist Tournament, Fame decided to announce a tournament of his own in response, the Dead or Alive Combat Championship. Like Heihachi's tournament, Fame's tournament also had powerful martial artists from around the world. However, tensions between him and DOATEC scientist Victor Donovan led to Fame's death after the tournament, in which ownership was passed on to his daughter, Helena.

While the competition between Heihachi and her father was strictly business, it has been a little bit more personal and chaotic since she has been in charge. After Jin Kazama took over the Mishima Zaibatsu, DOATEC was one of the many companies that he had ordered an attack on. Helena survived and was eventually rescued by a group that was rebelling against Jin. After Heihachi got the Mishima Zaibatsu back and start his ongoing war with Kazuya, Helena's DOATEC remained out of the conflict between father and son and is now trying to win her own personal war against Victor Donovan and his company MIST.

The announcement of the new King of Iron Fist tournament catches Helena's attention.

"Heihachi Mishima, just what are you planning this time?" says Helena as she looks at the video. "You, Kazuya, Jin…all of you will stop at nothing to gain more power. How many more innocent lives will suffer this time?"

* * *

 **Violet Systems** **Headquarters**

Meanwhile at Violet Systems, Jin, Lee, Lars, and Alisa watch the video of Heihachi making the announcement that doesn't come as a surprise for any of them.

"So, he announces a new tournament right after the whole world know that you're alive." said Lee as he turns to look Jin. "You know what that means, right?"

"Yes." said Jin. "He's doing this to bring me and Kazuya together…and kill us both at the same time. But this gives me another opportunity to kill them instead. This time, I will end it all…and no one else will have to suffer by our hands anymore."

"Do you believe that that would be the only way to get rid of the Devil Gene as well?" said Lars.

Jin pauses for a moment as if to think about something.

"We'll see about that." said Jin. "Right now, the only thing we should focus on is stopping them. That's what's important to me right now."

"We'll help you, Jin." said Alisa. "You're the only who is able to do this. Soon, the whole world will see you as a hero."

"Me? A hero? Now that's funny. I've done so much to this whole world, people will always hate me for it…just as much as I hate myself."

"Well, don't let that get in the way. We still have to keep a clear head here. This is our opportunity to bring peace back to this world and we may never get another one."

"Yes." Jin raises fist and says "It's either now or never!"

To Be Continued.


	4. The Tournament Begins

**The Tournament Begins**

At the Mugen Tenshin Village, Kasumi returns to see her son again for a once-a-year visit. Once there, however, she is unable to find him so she goes to ask Hayate about his whereabouts. She eventually meets up with him and Ayane outside of the village.

"He's not here." said Hayate. "He's leaving for the tournament."

"The tournament?" says a panicked Kasumi. "You don't mean The King of Iron Fist Tournament, do you?"

Hayate nods as he slowly looks down.

"It's too dangerous for him out there!" said Kasumi. "That's why I brought him here to this village. How can you allow him to leave?"

"I didn't let him go without testing him out. Kazuki has proven to be a strong warrior, with an iron will. He's also my top student. If he's going to a tournament like this, it's because he's earned it. Trust me, you'd be proud to see just how far he's come."

"As well as you should be." said Ryu Hayabusa as appears behind her. "We've all watched Kazuki grow from a baby to a young man, including you."

"Ryu, why did you tell him about me?" said Kasumi.

"Because no such promise was made to me. I understand your concern about him knowing the truth about you, but in the end, it was his choice to pursue it and he got it. He has that same kind of determination as you."

"He's proud to know that a person like you is his mother." said Ayane. "Doesn't that make you happy?"

Kasumi looks down and slowly smiles. She begins to reminisce the times with Kazuki growing up and how happy they seemed.

"Yes, it does." said Kasumi. "Just as he should be happy about us." She then looks at Hayabusa, Hayate, and Ayane. "I know what we must do."

* * *

 **The Day of the Tournament**

Weeks have passed since Heihachi Mishima announced the return of The King of Iron Fist Tournament. Warriors around the world have been training in preparation for the big tournament. Some fighters have competed in past tournaments decades before while newer fighters have entered for the first time, some of them in the place of older fighters. Veteran fighter Paul Phoenix still believes that he's the strongest fighter in the world and despite being 68 years old, remains in great shape and still an impressive fighter for his age. His friend Marshall Law replaced once again by his son Forest Law due to getting stung in the butt by a swarm of bees. Younger fighters such as a female German black belt in Karate also prepare for the tournament. Also of Korean decent, she is trained by her mother and her grandfather serves as the grandmaster of the dojo.

While some fighters enter to prove themselves, and win the tournament to become the champion, there are some who have different reasons, such to gain more power, to investigate the event, to find a missing person, or for revenge. But for Kazuki, it's much more different; apparently, this tournament has something to do with knowing who his father is. He's not sure what it means but it was something his sensei Hayate and Ayane told him that he has to do. Still, the thought that he's entering a tournament held by Heihachi Mishima disturbs him. The Mugen Tenshin Clan despise the Mishimas for their senseless crimes and the suffering that their ongoing war has caused. Kazuki is well aware of the dangers of entering this competition but is confident that he can make it through the competition and win.

For others, being involved in the competition is just simply not worth it. At the DOATEC Tritowers, Helena Douglas sits in her chair and watches the news about the tournament happening in just hours away from now. After taking over DOATEC completely, Helena has hosted some Dead or Alive Tournaments just as her father did. In the absence of the King of Iron Fist tournament, Dead or Alive stood alone as the world's biggest fighting competition and its popularity grew within the last twenty years. This was the advantage DOATEC needed over the Mishima Zaibatsu. Therefore, Helena is not concerned about The King of Iron First tournament taking place right now.

"So Heihachi thinks that he can win it all back?" said Helena. "While he was wasting his time fighting against Kazuya and G Corporation, DOATEC has become even stronger now. Many people have begun to respect us as the better company. I see no reason why we should participate."

"Yes, it's nothing but filth." said young man's voice from behind. "A little competition doesn't sound like a bad idea but no way am I entering that tournament. Not anything by them."

"I'm certain Donovan will be watching too. If he tries to make a move, we will catch him and stop him."

"I say just let him do it. Heihachi's plans deserve to be ruined anyway."

"Donovan will have to be stopped, Bruno. Or else, he'll just keep taking more lives to complete his project."

"Yeah…you're right."

Helena stands up to walk to Bruno and says "That's why I didn't want you to enter this tournament. I don't trust them to protect you. But with my tournament, you will be well-protected not only by me but our allies as well."

"I understand your concern, mother. But I think you're being a little bit too worried. I'm not a little boy, you know?"

"Little boy or not, you're still my son and I don't want to lose you like I lost...them"

"Yes, I know what you mean. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to us. I'll wait to enter your tournament but I'll be just fine."

At the Mishima Zaibatsu headquarters, Heihachi sees the faces of all the fighters that are going to be entering the tournament on his monitor. Two fighters that have peaked his interest are Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama, the same fighters that he created this tournament to lure out.

"Jin, Kazuya, this battle has been going on for far too long. Now it's time to end this my way and anyone else who dares challenge me will meet the same fate." He then lets out an evil laugh, believing that everything is working according to his plan.

* * *

 **The King of Iron Fist Tournament**

Now the tournament has finally began.

Jin manages to defeat all of opponents so far, including famous British boxer Steve Fox.

Kazuya manages to do the same, triumphing over Vale Tudo fighter Craig Marduk.

Right outside of the tournament's location, Kasumi, Hayate, and Ayane arrives as the event continues in order to infiltrate the tournament. They force their way in, taking out a number of Tekken Force soldiers. The trio proves to be too fast and too powerful for the soldiers to handle.

Heihachi meditates at his dojo, awaiting for either Jin or Kazuya to arrive. He believes that either one will make it to him first before anybody else will for sure.

"Mr. Mishima sir!" says his assassin Nina Williams as she comes in. "There has been a problem!"

"Hmm?" said Heihachi. "What is it now?"

"I just received news that there are intruders here at this tournament and they've already taken out a lot of our men!"

"Intruders? Who are they? And how many of them?"

"It's three of them and they are said to be ninjas."

"So these little rats are trying to ruin my opportunity? Fine." Heihachi then stands up and turns to Nina. "Eliminate all three of them immediately."

"Yes sir!" said Nina.

Shortly afterwards, Kasumi, Ayane, and Hayate head closer to an arena, where a fight is taking place. The arena is just one of the many battlegrounds in this tournament, however.

"Do you think it could be in there?" said Hayate.

"I don't know but we must find out." said Kasumi.

As they approach, however, their path gets blocked by a group of Tekken Force soliders, led by Nina Willaims.

"That's far enough. You will not go any further. Try to get pass us and you will die!" said Nina.

"There is something we must do and if we have to fight you to do that, then so be it." said Kasumi.

"I'll give you one more chance to take your warning. By messing with us, you have no idea how dangerous your situation is."

"Do you think we should fear you just because you work for the Mishima Zaibatsu?" said Ayane. "Don't make me laugh!"

"We're not here for you or Heihachi, so why not just let us pass through?" said Hayate.

"I warned you." said Nina as she assumes her fighting stance. "You could have made this a lot easier on yourself but since you refused to listen, you're going to have to suffer the consequences! So, get ready!"

As the ninjas prepare to fight, Nina and the soldiers charge forward. Hayate and Ayane take on the soldiers while Kasumi fights Nina. Nina attempts a few punches before landing with a kick to Kasumi's stomach, knocking her down. Kasumi avoids Nina's stomp and immediately gets back to her feet. Nina attempts another kick but Kasumi catches her leg and counters with a jumping kick of her own to Nina's face, knocking her down. Nina immediately gets up with a knife and starts slashing at Kasumi but Kasumi counters by catching her arm and slamming her down, disarming her. Nina gets up and lands a few shots and knocks Kasumi down with an elbow shot. She then runs behind Kasumi as she gets up and grabs her by the neck but Kasumi bends over and flips her over her head. However, Nina lands on her feet and charges towards Kasumi again with another hit but Kasumi teleports and after Nina turns to land another hit, Kasumi catches her arm with one hand and hits Nina in the chest with the other before landing a summersault kick that knocks Nina out.

By that point, the other soldiers are already defeated by Ayane and Hayate.

"She's down." said Hayate.

"Alright, let's keep moving." said Kasumi. "We don't have much time."

At the Mishima Zaibatsu Central Tower, Kazuya Mishima stands patiently waiting for his next opponent to arrive while thinking about how close he to fighting Heihachi again. He stands with his back turned as his opponent finally walks in.

"So, you're my next opponent." said Kazuya.

"Yes, that's correct." said the fighter.

"I don't think that you can make this worthwhile but you better try anyway." Kazuya turns to look at his opponent, who has black spiky hair, long bangs over his face, light blue shirt, black pants and boots. Kazuya gets in his fighting stance as does his opponent.

"I am not to be underestimated. You'll see."

The battle between Kazuya and Kazuki begins.

To Be Continued.


	5. The Other Half of the Secret

**The Other Half of the Secret**

Kazuki has made it far in the new King of Iron Fist tournament. Althought competition hasn't been anywhere near easy, he has managed to defeat all of his opponents so far, such as veteran ninja Yoshimitsu. His skills and preparation leading up to the tournament has payed off so far.

Now his success has brought him face-to-face with none of than the infamous Kazuya Mishima.

Kazuki has heard about Kazuya ever since he was a boy. The ongoing war between him and Heihachi has been a big topic throughout the world that it's hard to ignore. Kazuki has also heard that he's a powerful and feared fighter who is not above killing his enemies. Indeed, Kazuya's fighting skills and abilities betray his age, so Kazuki is not even a least fooled by the barely noticeable, small greys in his hair. This is his most dangerous opponent yet and he knows it.

Kazuya starts the fight off with a one-two punch combo followed by a roundhouse kick. Kazuki blocks these attacks but can still feel the force of these hits, as it sends him back a few steps. He attempts a fast punch combination of his arm but Kazuya effortlessly blocks them. He attempts a spinning punch but Kazuya dodges and lands an uppercut right on Kazuki's chin. After a quick recovery, Kazuki attempts another combination. However, these attacks are once again blocked by Kazuya and in the middle of the attacks, he lands two more powerful punches to the body. As Kazuki falls to his knees from power of the punches, Kazuya lands a high kick to the top of his head, knocking him down. Kazuki rolls away and back to his feet before Kazuya can stomp on his head.

Kazuya stands straight and smirks at his opponent. For him, Kazuki is just another fighter who is far below him and will fall before his fists. But Kazuki is determined. His goal is to win the tournament and make the Mugen Tenshin Clan proud.

"He's as good as I heard him to be." said Kazuki to himself. "Possibly even better. But I'm not going to lose."

"What's the matter?" said Kazuya. "Trying to decide whether or not to give up?"

"I'm not the one to give up." said Kazuki. "When I want to win, I fight to the very end. You'll see that for yourself."

"Heh! You'll fight to the very end alright. To your very end. At this point, giving up right now is the smartest thing you can do."

Kazuki is not fazed by the words, however and assumes his fighting stance, as does Kazuya. As if to prove a point about not giving up, Kazuki dashes forward with great speed. Kazuya throws a punch but Kazuki catches it and lands a shot to the body. Kazuki then follows up with a combination of punches to the body, ending with a jump knee to the face that knocks Kazuya down. These attacks, however, just seem to make Kazuya angrier. He attacks more aggressive with a few punches but Kazuki teleports behind him and strikes him in the back. As Kazuya turns around, he is kicked in the face by Kazuki. The force of the kick sends Kazuya down but he immediately gets up to continue the fight. Kazuki attempts another teleport attack behind him but Kazuya blocks it this time. Kazuki jumps back avoid any possible follow ups. After a brief stare down, both resume their fight and they do so by dashing straight at each other with a powerful punch. The clash of their fists causes a shockwave within their area.

Kazuya chuckles for a moment.

"You have Mishima blood in your veins." said Kazuya.

Kazuki gasps at the comment and immediately backs away from Kazuya.

"What did you just say?" said Kazuki.

"You carry the Mishima and Kazama blood in your veins. There's only one other man who I know who has that and that's Jin Kazama. You're his son, aren't you?"

"Stop it!" said Kazuki. "Your head games are not going to work on me!"

"Why would I waste my time playing head games with someone like you? I carry the Mishima blood myself and have fought others who have. You're no different from us." Kazuya smirks as he says "You don't even know that Jin Kazama is your father, do you?"

"That's enough! I can never be a Mishima! I'm not like any of you!"

"But you are one of us. Learn to accept your fate as a Mishima because no matter what, you can never escape it."

"No, you're…you're lying! That…that can't be true!" Kazuki frustration grows as Kazuya starts laughing.

Finally, out of anger, Kazuki runs forward to attack Kazuya but gets with a body blow instead and falls to his knees. Believing that there's no point continuing, Kazuya turns and walks out of the area as a shocked Kazuki sits on the arena floor.

"That hatred in you is a trait we all share." said Kazuya. "Soon, your hatred will grow and then you will be able appreciate what our bloodline really has to offer. Consider it a gift." Kazuya leaves Kazuki to himself. This is very much how he felt after he knew who his mother is and now the same thing has happened after knowing about his father.

Through the cameras in the arena, Heihachi Mishima has watched the whole incident.

"So Jin has a son?" he says. "That means he could be a real problem for me in the future. Best to take care of him now before that ever happens."

Later after that fight, Jin is about enter the arena where he is allegedly supposed to fight Kazuya. But as of right now, Kazuya has yet to show up so Jin and the audience continue to wait. Suddenly, Jin hears a female voice.

"Jin!" yells the voice from the crowd. It's a voice he has heard before and was certain who it was before he even looks at her face.

"Kasumi?" he says. He sees Kasumi, followed by Hayate and Ayane, running through the crowd and waving at him. Jin sees that Kasumi has a very worried look on her face. Something must be wrong.

To Be Continued.


	6. A Dangerous Situation

**A Dangerous Situation**

Jin Kazama,

The Former Head of the Mishima Zaibatsu,

The Man Who Engulfed the World in Chaos,

The Father of Kazuki.

During his fight with Kazuya Mishima, Kazuki learned about this startling new revelation that he never would have imagined. Shocked and in disbelief, Kazuki was left alone in the Mishima Central Tower. So far, it's the last place anyone has seen him.

Later that night, Jin enters the arena to await his own fight against Kazuya. But so far, Kazuya has not shown up, much to Jin's surprise. He knows that Kazuya would want to settle everything here just as much he does so this is very unusual to him and there has to be a reason for it.

As if things couldn't get any more bizarre, Jin suddenly sees a face he's all too familiar with. It was Kasumi and she, along Hayate and Ayane, have something very important to tell Jin outside of the arena.

"So Kazuki is missing?" said Jin. "Something doesn't seem right. There has to be a reason for that."

"Could anybody else have found out about you and him?" said Kasumi.

"I'm not sure about that but if they did find out, then it wasn't from me, because I never told anybody. I did everything I could to avoid him so that he wouldn't find out either."

"One thing we do know that Kazuki is not someone who will run away over something like that." said Hayate.

"Then again, considering who I am, I wouldn't be surprised if he did. I probably would have done the same thing," said Jin."

"But he's far stronger than that. He would have confronted somebody about it by now."

"Seems like you can learn something from your son, Jin." said Ayane. "Running away from your problems? Thankfully, that isn't something he would do."

"Listen, we're wasting our time," said Kasumi. "He's missing right now, even though none of us has told him about you yet. So, what reason could there be for why he's missing?"

Jin closes his eyes to think deeply for a moment. Once he opens them, he says "I think I have an idea."

* * *

 **Hon-Maru Temple**

Kazuya walks inside of Hon-Maru, a massive temple located within the Mishima Zaibatsu compound that has been rebuilt and is larger than it originally was. It is here where he finds Kazuki unconscious and chained up. As he walks to get a closer look at his grandson, an evil grin crept on his face.

"So that old bastard already made his move." said Kazuya. "When I overheard those soldiers taking someone away, I immediately knew what it meant. He thinks that he can keep us separate so that I won't awaken his powers. Well, you'll be in for a surprise, Heihachi! A big surprise! Once I absorb his power, I'll be even stronger and soon, I'll take everything else back!"

Kazuya then begins using his devil powers to try to take Kazuki's. This causes Kazuki to see temporary images of Kazuya, telling him to give into his hatred for him. However, for Kazuya, this proves to be much more difficult than he anticipated.

"Damn it!" said Kazuya. "The Devil Gene in his body has not been used yet. I might have to push him to the brink of death in order to awaken it."

During this time, Jin walks in behind Kazuya and sees what he's doing.

"Kazuya!" he yells.

Kazuya calmly turns around and chuckles, saying "So you come, huh Jin? Well, your son's power won't be a waste, if that's what you're worried about."

"Leave Kazuki out of this!" said Jin. "He has nothing to do with this war. Your enemies are just me and Heihachi."

"You say that now but Kazuki will be involved in this no matter what and you know it. Soon, you'll be his enemy as well and then you'll have to kill him. Your actions years ago already made sure of that."

"That's enough! I will not listen to this! I'll defeat you both before you bring him into this and end this curse once and for all!"

They both get in their fighting stances.

They immediately start exchanging blows in an even fight. At one point, Kazuya throws a powerful punch but Jin avoids it and lands a body shot. He attempts a follow up with a kick but Kazuya blocks it and attempts a kick of his own that gets block. Jin attempts another kick but misses. Kazuya takes this opportunity to land a punch that connects to Jin's face. He follows up with a combination of punches and kicks that Jin is forced to block. However, one of those shots land and hits Jin in the chest. Kazuya then lands another punch to Jin's face, followed by a kick that knocks Jin down. Kazuya starts grinning evilly but Jin is not finished yet. In fact, he gets more angrier and quickly dashes towards Kazuya with a powerful punch to the face that catches him off guard. Jin immediately follows up with a combination of punches and kicks that Kazuya is unable to defend and finishes with a roundhouse kick that knocks him down. Kazuya gets up and smirks a little. He then does a spinning kick that lands on Jin, knocking him down once again. As soon as he gets up, he sees Kazuya coming forward with a punch, but Jin counters by catching his arm and flips him over his back and on to the ground. Jin then lands a punch on Kazuya while he's on the ground and backs away. Kazuya gets up and rushes forward, but Jin dodges and lands a shot to Kazuya's abdomen that leaves him stunned. Jin ends the fight with a spinning kick to the leg and head that knocks Kazuya out.

With Kazuya defeated, Jin turns to look at Kazuki and yells out his name to wake him up. Kazuki, now no longer seeing images, quickly does wake up and frees himself from the chains.

"What kind of dream was that?" said Kazuki. He then looks and see Jin standing next to the unconscious Kazuya. "What's going on here?"

"You were kidnapped by Heihachi." said Jin. "I found you just in time. Kazuya got here first but I stopped him before he can do any harm. This is the same place where he took me a long time ago."

"Aren't you Jin Kazama? Why would you come to help me out like that? And what does Heihachi want with me?"

"Because now that they know the truth about you, they'll come after you for their own personal reasons."

"The 'truth' about me? Wait!" Kazuki then begins to think about what Kazuya told them during their fight. "I remember now. I remember Kazuya saying that I have Mishima blood in my veins. That I was your son. That can't be true…can it?"

Jin looks down for a moment before saying "Yes, it's true."

Kazuki remains unconvinced as if to be in denial. "I've heard a lot about you, Jin. Such as how you threw the world in chaos by declaring war on everybody. I can't necessarily see how you're any better than them. What makes you think I should believe you?"

"So, your mother didn't tell you after all? It's too bad you had to found out from Kazuya instead of me. It's probably better off if you never found out at all."

"Why would my mother mention anything like that?"

"Because it's the truth, Kazuki." said Kasumi as she walks in, along with Hayate and Ayane.

"Mother?" said Kazuki. "But why?"

"We'll explain everything to you later, Kazuki. It's not easy to understand."

Kazuki is not satisfied with what he hears and still not sure what to believe anymore.

"It just doesn't make any sense. To me, you clearly are a loving and caring person and yet, Jin was seen as the most dangerous and hated person in the world…and you mean to tell me that I'm the son of someone like him? As much as I hate lies, I'd rather be lied to right now because I can't accept that as the truth."

"I know it's difficult to accept but there's a lot more to it than people know. But you will understand someday, Kazuki. Trust me."

"He has every right to feel that way." said Jin. "I don't blame him for it. What I did years ago was something unforgivable and there's nothing that can change that."

"You're also lucky to escape any kind of punishment you deserve, Jin." said Ayane. "If we had of found you instead of Kasumi, you wouldn't even be alive today."

"Ayane, that's enough!" said Hayate. "That's all in the past now and it will not do us any good to keep bringing it back."

They then hear the sounds of a group of people approaching. It's the Tekken Force soldiers who block their exit.

"Stop right there and surrender yourselves." said one of the soldiers. "These are orders from Heihachi Mishima."

"How about just getting out of our way?" said Ayane. "You guys know you can't stop us."

"If you don't surrender, then we'll take you down by force!" said the soldier.

"Now that's funny." She then gets in her fighting stance, as does the others.

"Attack!" says the soldier. They all charge forward at the five fighters. The ninjas use a number of fast team attacks while Jin uses his powerful punches and kicks. This is the first time Kazuki has ever seen Kasumi and Jin fight so he was impressed by the skills of his mother and father. He then starts displaying his own skills of speed and power.

The five fighters had very little effort in defeating the soldiers and soon, they are all down and out.

"Come on." said Hayate. "We must get out of here before anymore shows up."

"Right." said Ayane. "They would just be a waste of time anyway."

They all start quickly leaving and before they do, Kasumi grabs Kazuki's arm.

"Kazuki, please don't hate your father." she said. "He had his reasons. You'll understand them. I promise."

He pauses for a moment to think about it but doesn't say anything and leaves along with everybody else.

To Be Continued.


	7. The Cursed Child

**The Cursed Child**

 _Strange cases have occurred regarding the Mishima family war. We've just learned weeks ago that Jin Kazama, who was believe by many to be dead for a long time, is really alive but now there's more to the story than that. According to recent information has been leaked out, it turns out that Jin Kazama has a son named Kazuki who is said to be a ninja. This information was leaked out after the conclusion of the King of Iron Fist tournament, in which Jin and Kazuki were both participants. The source of this information seems to come from G Corporation, which is headed by Kazuya Mishima, Jin's father. Jin himself has not publicly confirmed or denied these claims and it's not known where Kazuki stands in this war. We'll keep you updated with more information about this subject._

This news has spread all over the world. Many people were shocked by this new revelation. Some people believed it, some people didn't, and others simply didn't care about the Mishimas due to their reputation.

Inside of the DOATEC Tritower, Helena Douglas watches the news on her TV screen. Though she cares nothing for the ongoing drama with the Mishimas, there is something about this news that has caught her attention.

"A ninja named Kazuki?" said Helena. "Isn't that Kasumi's son?"

"'Kasumi's son'?" said Bruno as he walks in. "I didn't know she had a son."

"Yes, and she told me that his name is Kazuki. He should be around the same age as you, Bruno. But she never told me that his father is Jin Kazama. In fact, she never mentioned anything about his father at all. Now I know why; she may have been trying to protect him from this world."

"But I thought you said that Jin once attacked DOATEC years ago during his war against the world. How can one of our most trusted allies fall for someone like him?"

"That's something only she knows. Right now, the one thing that worries me right now is what kind of danger that this could bring to her village and clan?"

After seeing the news at the Violet Systems headquarters, Lars, Lee, and Alisa all look at Jin, who is sitting down and looks at the floor, clearly disturbed that this information has leaked out.

"Jin, is it true?" said Lars. Jin can do nothing but sit back and even though Jin doesn't give an answer, everyone still knows what the answer is. Lars sighs and says "Your son's life is in danger. Kazuya and Heihachi will both be after him and I don't think he's ready for that kind of battle like you are."

"That's why I didn't want him to find out about this." said Jin. "At least, not find out from anybody else other than me. Kazuya would want him for his devil powers and Heihachi would just want him dead…or something else. I can't let any of that happen to Kazuki."

"That poor boy!" said Alisa. "He's already wrapped up in this war just because he's related to the Mishimas. There has to be some way to protect him."

"I could send some of my men to bring him here for safety." said Lee. "I don't think Kazuya or Heihachi would have such an easy time getting through us."

"That won't be necessary." said Jin. "His mother told me that the Mugen Tenshin Clan will keep him safe and I can trust her on that. After all, they did manage to break into the tournament and make it out without any harm. So, I'm sure he's well protected."

"We can only hope for that." said Lars. "As far as I know, they've never fought Kazuya or Heihachi before. I just hope they're prepared for the possibility of facing them in the future."

At the G Corporation headquarters, Kazuya watches the news on his screen, proud that his information has spread across the world like he wanted. Now his next step is to find where Kazuki is residing and bring him in for his power.

As he sits watching the news, one of the soldiers continues to search on the computer for more information about Kazuki.

"Mr. Kazuya sir!" said the soldier. "I've checked through the information that was given when he entered the tournament. It turns out that the fighting style that he uses is called Mugen Tenshin Ninjutsu. In order for him to be trained in that style, he has to be part of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan. One of the ninjas, a female named Kasumi was also the winner of the first Dead or Alive tournament."

"Hmm!" said Kazuya. "A clan like that will definitely put up a fight if we ever come across them. Nevertheless, find out more about their location. It's where Kazuki lives, I'm sure of it."

"Yes sir!" said the soldier.

* * *

 **Mugen Tenshin Village**

The widespread news about Kazuki has also reached the Mugen Tenshin Village. The news that Kazuki is related to the Mishimas has caused him to be treated differently. Everyone is now looking at him in fear and treats him as an outcast.

Hayate is the only one who has stuck with him, mainly because he fears for Kazuki's safety. The day after the news breaks out, Hayate meets up with Ayane in the village where they discuss their current situation.

"This is not good." said Hayate. "Everyone in the whole world knows about Kazuki. Now it's just a matter of time before someone comes to our village to find him. This is really bad."

"Well, what did she expect when she gave birth to a cursed child?" said Ayane. "One of the Mishimas at that? Kasumi should have known that this was going to happen."

"This is not Kasumi's fault, Ayane. If there's anyone who should take responsibility for all of this, it's me. I should have never let him go to that tournament."

"It wouldn't have made a difference, Hayate. He was probably going to find out anyway. Either way, I expected nothing less than trouble whenever it comes to a Mishima. I knew he should have been exiled."

"Ayane…are you even listening to yourself now? Do you realize how you sound?"

They then hear something moving behind them and as they look, all they can see is a leaf falling down to the ground. Hayate knew that Kazuki was there and heard them.

He looks at Ayane and says "Ayane, as of today, I have nothing else to say to you anymore. How can you talk about the Mishima family fighting each other when you still harbor hatred for your own? I'm going to help Kazuki, no matter what. If you're not going to protect him from the Mishimas…then I guess this is where we part ways."

Hayate walks away as Ayane yells his name but he ignores her and continues to walk. Ayane then begins to weep.

Kasumi meets up with Ryu Hayabusa in a hidden village that she sometimes resides in. This was the village where she was kept safe by the legendary blacksmith Muramasa twenty years ago.

"Ryu…is Kazuki okay?" asked Kasumi. "I know this has to be a difficult time for him now that he knows the truth. Now the whole world knows. How is he taking this?"

"Hayate has told me that he's been quite distant from everybody for days now." said Hayabusa. "The rest of the village are in fear of him and want nothing to do with him. Don't worry! Hayate will stand by him no matter what…and so will I."

Kasumi nods, trusting what Ryu has said.

"At this point, I can only hope that Kazuki gets himself together before anything happens to him. Right now, he's in no condition to fight anybody."

"He has Hayate and Ayane and I'm sure they'll protect him at all costs. I trusted them to do that when I brought him to the village. I know they will."

Meanwhile, back at the Mugen Tenshin village, Kazuki stands at a waterfall, thinking about his past. As he closes his eyes, he reminisces the happiest times in his life with the clan, trying his best to forget about everything else after that but Ayane's words are still fresh on his mind. He then opens his eyes and angrily looks at his fist. With an explosion of anger, Kazuki smashes a large rock to pieces with just one punch.

"Kazuki?" said a female voice. "Is everything okay?"

"Lady Ayame?" said Kazuki. "I mean…umm…"

"You don't have to call me that," said Ayame. "I'm your grandmother, remember?"

"Yes. It's just that…I don't know what to do now. This village doesn't even look at me the same way anymore. I don't think I can even look at myself the same way either."

Ayame puts her hand on his face and says "I'm looking at you right now and what I see is that same boy that I raised since he was a baby. It doesn't matter if you have Mishima blood, you still have our blood as well. You are our family and nothing will ever change that."

"Thanks La…grandmother. It's good to know that you haven't turned your back on me. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about Ayane. I now see why she seemed like she never cared about me. She even calls me a cursed child."

"I'm sure it's because she was seen as a cursed child herself."

Kazuki looks up at Ayame, as he hardly knows anything Ayane's past. "Really?"

"When Ayane was born…I was ashamed. She wasn't born out of love and I couldn't face raising her with Hayate and Kasumi so…I had her sent away after she was born. I didn't even tell her I was her mother until many years later. I've regretted that for years. But when they brought you to the village, I saw an opportunity to redeem myself. I decided to raise you to make up for not raising Ayane. You were my grandson and you had my blood and that's all that mattered to me. I raised a child for a third time…just like I should have done with her."

"I see." said Kazuki. "I never knew any of that."

"So Kazuki, always remember this; our family bond is stronger than any shinobi code. Don't be ashamed of anything like I was. As long as you have our blood in you, you should have nothing to worry about."

"You're right." said Kazuki. "I shouldn't be ashamed of anything, no matter what the others say. I'm a ninja of this clan and I'm thankful for that. Thanks for your advice, grandmother."

In the woods nearby the village, Ayane stands beside a tree, still in tears about what happened earlier.

"I don't understand!" said Ayane. "How can Master Hayate care so much about that cursed child? Is it because he's Kasumi's son?" She then looks at the sky and began to think about how close she is to Hayate throughout most of her life and began to wonder if this is the end of it all. However, as she begins to think about their childhood, she remembers how Hayate was one of the few people didn't turn her down, even after knowing the truth. She now sees the same thing happening with Kazuki, with Hayate once again being there for him while everyone else, including Ayane herself, has shut him down.

It was at that point that she realizes that the way she was treated by people in her childhood is the same way she's treating Kazuki, her own blood, and begins to believe that that's the reason why Hayate is mad at her.

She then takes out her sword and says "Maybe Master Hayate was right. If I help Kazuki…will Hayate accept me again?"

Later on, now at nighttime, the Mugen Tenshin Clan holds conference in temple where Hayate discusses the current situation with his father Shiden and Kazuki about how it should be handled.

"All it means is that it would be far too dangerous for Kazuki to be out there by himself." said Shiden. "As his leader, it is your duty to make sure he's not anywhere by himself. Enemies will be watching him everywhere."

"Yes, father." said Hayate. "I'll even put my own life on the line for him, no matter what." He then looks at Kazuki who is looking down as if to think about something. "Kazuki? Are you listening?"

Kazuki looks up and says "Yes, I heard what grandfather said…but there's something about this that I…"

At that moment, a ninja runs in during the meeting in a panic.

"Master Hayate! We're under attack by a group of robots!"

"Robots?" said Kazuki as he stands up.

Hayate quickly jumps to his feet and says "It looks like they've began their attack on us already! Come on, Kazuki! Let's go!" He quickly leaves the temple as Kazuki follows.

As they go to the front part of the village, they see some of it is on fire and a lot of their ninjas lay beaten on ground by a bunch of Jack robots, lead by a man in a black suit. "What a pathetic clan of ninjas!" said Kazuya Mishima..

Infuriated by the sight of this, Hayate and Kazuki charge for the Jack robots. Despite being bullet proof robots, the ninjas manage to destroy a lot of them with powerful punches and kicks, not even bothering to use their swords. They are soon joined by Ayane, who has been battling against some of the robots already.

"Ayane?" said Hayate.

"We stick together." said Ayane.

"That's right!" said Kazuya. "Bring as many as you can! You're gonna need this in a battle against me!" In reality, the ninjas are outnumbered by the Jack robots.

"You'll pay for attacking our village, Kazuya!" said Hayate.

"Go ahead and take your best shot." said Kazuya. "You'll die either way. Then I'll collect what I've come for and burn this village down."

"What does he mean by that?" said Kazuki. "Collecting what?" Hayate and Ayane, however, do know what Kazuya means and they both stand in front of Kazuki as if to block Kazuya from coming.

Just then, however, a huge explosion sends many of the robots flying away. Everyone looks to see what caused the explosion. Before they can figure it out, Kasumi appears by the ninjas.

"Kasumi?" said Ayane. "That was you?"

"Mother?" said Kazuki.

"I will not let Kazuya or Heihachi attack my family!" said Kasumi. "I'll make them pay for ever doing that!"

Kasumi first attacks Kazuya, with very fast punches and kicks. Kazuya avoids them and eventually catches Kasumi's leg.

"That's all you got?" he said. "You've got to do better than that!"

Kasumi quickly escapes and lands next to the other ninjas as they all assume their fighting stances, ready to take on Kazuya.

To Be Continued.


	8. The Battle Against Kazuya

**The Battle Against Kazuya**

Kazuya Mishima has invaded the Mugen Tenshin Clan with the intention of absorbing Kazuki's Devil Gene powers that he has to awaken. Kasumi, Hayate, and Ayane are all that's standing in his way and are aware of his intentions but Kazuki is the only one who doesn't know.

"Kazuki, stand back," said Kasumi. "This fight is too dangerous for you."

"That's nonsense!" said Kazuki. "I'm ready for him this time."

"It's not that. It's just that you're the one who Kazuya is after. We can't risk having you and him fight each other right now."

Kazuki is confused. He's unaware of the Devil Gene and therefore, has no idea why Kazuya is after him. He does, however, remember Jin telling him that Kazuya and Heihachi will both be after him for "their own reasons" now that they know the truth about him.

"Don't worry," said Hayate. "We don't doubt you one bit but if there's anyone should stay on their feet right now, it's you."

"Just let us handle this, Kazuki," said Ayane.

Kazuki doesn't argue and lets Kasumi, Ayane, and Hayate fight against Kazuya.

"No matter what, nothing will ever stop me from getting what I want," said Kazuya. "Now come!"

Hayate starts off with fast attacks and the two start having some fast exchanges. It appears to be even until Kazuya manages to land a punch to the stomach. Hayate responds with a two-handed palm attack to the chest that knocks Kazuya back. Hayate attempts to follow up by dashing forward with an elbow attack but it only clashes with Kazuya's. Kazuya then lands another punch to the stomach, followed with a kick to the face, knocking Hayate down.

Ayane rushes forward and does a jumping kick but Kazuya catches it and throws her into Kasumi, who catches her. Both sisters dash forward toward Kazuya, who blocks their attacks. He then throws a punch but Kasumi catches his arm, giving Ayane an opportunity to land hard kick to the stomach. Hayate seizes the opportunity to land a hard kick of his own to Kazuya's face, knocking him down.

Kazuya stands up and after he chuckles, lets out a long laser-like blast from his forehead. The ninjas, including Kazuki, barely avoid the attack. Hayate then contemplates using the Torn Sky Blast but changes his mind, believing that their power in numbers would be enough. Ayane once again tries to attack Kazuya but is unable to land any attacks and is eventually knocked down by an uppercut and kick. Hayate runs to her side, knowing that she's not in the best condition to keep fighting.

"Ayane…!"said Hayate.

Kazuki is angry at this and, clutching his sword, appears ready to attack his grandfather. Before he can, however, Kasumi steps in front of him.

"I'll take him on myself now," said Kasumi. "You just stay back there."

"I'm not going to stand here and watch him hurt you!" said Kazuki.

"I will not be defeated. When I'm fighting for my family, nothing will ever stop me," Believing his mother's words, Kazuki lowers his sword and steps back.

Kazuya looks at Kasumi and says "I know about you winning the first Dead or Alive tournament, but you'll soon realize that such accomplishments are not enough to prepare you for me."

"I've been through many battles and I know that I'm ready for you," said Kasumi as she assumes her fighting stance. Kazuya does the same.

She quickly dashes forward as Kazuya anticipates a rushing attack but instead, Kasumi jumps over his head and kicks him in the back with great speed. Kazuya attempts to fight back but is unable to keep up with the faster Kasumi. She manages to land to some fast punches and kicks that keeps catching Kazuya off-guard. When he tries to land a punch, Kasumi catches his arm and lands a jump kick to the face, knocking him down. She leaps to land a flying stomp but he moves out of the way, and after getting up, he quickly lands two hard shots to her face, knocking her down. She rolls her to feet and anticipates Kazuya's next attack, which is flying kick attack. Kasumi back-flips out of the way to avoid it. She tries to counter with a dashing elbow attack but Kazuya ducks under it and lands an uppercut, sending her down again.

Kazuki looks in anger, almost ready jump in, but remembering what his mother said, stays out of the fight.

Kazuya attempts to finish Kasumi off with a stomp but she quickly rolls out of the way and, after getting up, she quickly dashes by with an elbow attack that he doesn't see coming. She then does backflip, teleports out of the air, and appears in front him before landing a powerful elbow that knocks Kazuya far away. Kazuya is affected by the attack and is not quick to get up, signaling that the fight is over. Kasumi then runs to where Hayate is standing up Ayane, while Kazuki stands highly impressed by his mother's skills.

"Damn it!" said Kazuya as he slowly stands up. "You're Kazuki's mother alright. He takes a lot after you. But just remember that this is not over yet! I swear we'll meet again!" He then heads to his plane along with the remaining Jack robots and flies off.

Afterwards, Kazuki and Kasumi checks on Hayate and Ayane.

"That jerk!" said Ayane. "He's going to pay for this!"

"Yes, he will!" said Hayate. "We'll get him for this eventually, but right now, we need to focus on our village at this moment. I'm glad that our mother is okay."

Kazuki looks at Kasumi and say "You were the winner of the first Dead or Alive tournament?"

"Yes," she responded. "Your uncle Hayate was seriously injured by that monster Raidou so I entered the tournament to avenge his defeat."

"Raidou?" Kazuki is familiar with who Raidou is. He remembers hearing about Raidou attacking the village years ago before he was born, but not much else other than knowing that he was a former member of the Mugen Tenshin clan and Shiden's brother.

This recent attack by Kazuya triggers many people's memories of Raidou's attack years ago.

"We don't have time think about that, Kazuki," said Hayate. "Let's put this fire out and help the others here."

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry."

* * *

 **MIST**

At the headquarters of a dark mysterious place known as MIST, a woman with white hair and in a black and white jumpsuit walks into the office of the mysterious and sinister Victor Donovan, the CEO of MIST.

"Anything to report, Christie?" said Donovan.

"Yes sir," said Christie. "G Corporation just attacked the Mugen Tenshin Clan yesterday but they failed and were forced to retreat."

"And just why would Kazuya be after the Mugen Tenshin Clan?" said Donovan.

"It turns out that his grandson Kazuki is part of that clan."

"Hm! Well, things have gotten a whole lot more interesting, hasn't it?"

"Yes, especially when you consider the fact that he's also Kasumi's son."

Donovan turns around with an evil smile and says "Then he's more than worthy of my next project. If his mother was a success, then certainly he will be as well. As of right now, trying to get him would be very difficult, but something like another tournament will flush him out easier. So, Helena Douglas or Heihachi Mishima, make your move…and then we'll make ours."

* * *

 **Mishima Zaibatsu**

Heihachi Mishima has also received news from Nina Williams about Kazuya's attack on the Mugen Tenshin Clan. He laughs at Kazuya's failure but now he also he knows where Kazuki resides. Still, he is very cautious about making his own move on the clan.

"That fool!" said Heihachi. "It seems he had underestimated the Mugen Tenshin Clan. Had he known about them as much as I do, he wouldn't have gone there unprepared. Now that he has failed, it's time for me to handle this my own way."

"With something else other than a family reunion?" said Nina.

"Ha! That's pretty obvious."

"All three wiped out at once? Now that's quite an accomplishment."

"That will be the only way to destroy the Devil Gene at this point. Dealing with Kazuya's mother Kazumi was bad enough but now it's time to finally end it with her son, grandson, and great-grandson."

* * *

 **G-Corporation**

A month later, not to the surprise of anybody, the next King of Iron Fist Tournament is announced. Warriors from all the world prepare themselves once again for the next big tournament. Kazuya, still furious over his defeat at the hands of Kasumi and his failure to capture Kazuki, pushes himself harder as he practices against numerous Jack robots in his training room to prepare him for the tournament.

"That damn Kasumi!" he angrily says. "I see why she won the first Dead or Alive Tournament. She's far stronger than I expected…maybe even stronger than the others."

Despite his ever-growing hatred for Kasumi for interrupting his plans, however, there is something about this whole thing that makes him laugh a little bit.

"So, it seems that I not only have to go through Kazuki's father, but his mother as well? Ha! The things that we Mishimas have to go through in order to accomplish something…never seizes to amaze me. But as long as Heihachi hasn't gotten to him first, I still have a chance at this thing."

* * *

 **Mugen Tenshin Village**

After Kazuya's attack on the Mugen Tenshin Clan, the village has since been repaired from all the damages that was done during the attack. However, this does nothing to improve Kazuki's reputation with the clan, who now blames him for the whole attack and believes it would have never happened had it not been for the fact he's related to the Mishimas. Therefore, Kazuki remains isolated from the clan most of the time with only his family supporting him. However, this does motivate him to enter the new King of Iron Fist Tournament, which is what he discusses with Hayate and Ayane in the woods.

"Look, I don't have a choice this time," said Kazuki. "This battle means more to me than either of you can ever imagine."

"We understand how you feel, Kazuki," said Ayane. "But it's not worth going there all by yourself."

"Don't ever think that this is just your fight," said Hayate. "We're all in this together."

"Neither of you understand!" said Kazuki. "This whole village has turned their back on me all because of what those guys have done! You two have no idea how…"

"Kazuki!" said Ayane as she angrily slaps her nephew in the face. This shocks both Hayate and Kazuki.

"Ayane?" said Hayate. As he gets a closer look at Ayane's face, he can see her eyes watering.

"That man Raidou attacked our village a long time ago and the reason this clan hated me was because I was his daughter. He was the reason why I was an outcast and for years I had to deal with that. So don't ever tell me that I don't understand!"

Kazuki didn't know that Raidou was Ayane's father until now. Still, already angry at his current situation, Kazuki slowly stands up and says "Raidou was your enemy…and the Mishimas are mine. It's as simple as that. I'm going to enter this tournament, no matter what. Maybe then, this village will accept me again. There's just no other way around it." He then walks away.

"He's not ready, Hayate," said Ayane. "And yet, there's so little time."

"He's right about one thing; there is no other way around this." said Hayate. "We just have to do our parts and…that's it."

* * *

 **Violet Systems**

Jin and the others hear about the announcement of the next tournament and are not surprised. But now that they know that Kazuya and Heihachi are both after Kazuki, the stakes are pretty high for Jin, who has more reasons to stop them now.

"I have to end this now before Kazuki gets dragged into this again," he says to Lars and Lee. "I can't miss this opportunity this time."

"But what if Kazuki enters the tournament again?" said Lars.

"Then I just have to do what I can to make sure he stays away from Kazuya. I don't care what I have to go through in order to do that. This may be my last chance to do this."

"You should let me handle this," said a male voice. Standing next to Alisa is Ryu Hayabusa. "You're not the only one wants to do this."

"Ryu?" said Jin. "I didn't expect you show up."

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this but Kazuya attacked the Mugen Tenshin Village a month ago, trying to look for Kazuki."

"What? Was everybody okay?"

"Yes. He attacked the village but Kasumi managed to defeat him and forced him to leave. Kazuki was safe."

"Kazuya is trying absorb Kazuki's Devil Gene before it's unleashed. That has to be the reason for why he would attack like that."

"So Kazuki is well-protected after all." said Lee.

"But the real reason I'm here is to let you know that Kazuki will be entering the tournament again." said Hayabusa.

"Why would he do that?" said Jin. "Doesn't he know how dangerous that is?"

"The Mugen Tenshin Clan has turned their back on him ever since they learned that he was your son. Now he plans on destroying both Kazuya and Heihachi and win the tournament to prove himself."

"How does Kasumi feel about this?"

"She's worried…but I told her that I'll be watching over him to make sure he doesn't cross paths with Kazuya."

"That's what we planned to do as well," said Lars. "If at least one of us can get to him first, then Kazuki won't have to fight him. As for Heihachi…"

They all look in silent, as if they're not sure what do with that situation.

"Maybe Kazuki can defeat Heihachi?" said Alisa. "He did make it far in the tournament after all. He's probably more prepared now, isn't it?"

"We can only hope," said Hayabusa. "Kazuki is a strong warrior but he has to stay focused. That's my only concern right now."

To Be Continued.


	9. The Second Chance

**The Second Chance**

After the previous tournament, The Mugen Tenshin Village was invaded by G Corporation, with Kazuya intending to take Kazuki's Devil Gene powers for himself. But even though the ninja clan, with the help of Kasumi, was able to force Kazuya to retreat, the blame for the attack falls solely on Kazuki. To them, the only reason the attack happened was because of his blood relation to the Mishima family. Therefore, Kazuki distanced himself from the village in silence, not talking to anyone other Hayate and Ayane. As the days go by, his despise toward the Mishimas begins to grow into full-blown hatred as he trains with furious intentions. He begins to blame Kazuya and Heihachi for the village turning on him and now wants them both destroyed. He also holds Jin responsible for the same thing due to his reputation but remembers his mother Kasumi telling him not to hate his father for reasons no one has told him yet. But his hatred for his grandfather and great-grandfather remains, so when the next King of Iron Fist Tournament was announced, Kazuki decided to enter the tournament without hesitation.

Ryu Hayabusa, master of the Hayabusa clan and longtime friend of the Mugen Tenshin Clan, sees a lot of potential in Kazuki but is concerned that his hatred is preventing him from reaching that. This concern has brought him to a discussion with Kazuki himself in the woods.

"Tell me something Kazuki; what is your real reason for entering the tournament?" said Hayabusa. "Trying to get accepted by the village? Or trying to destroy Kazuya and Heihachi?"

"At this point, I'm not so sure myself." said Kazuki. "I know the village hates me but now it seems like I hate them as well. I grew up in that village and now this is how they treat me? I feel I've been betrayed by them. How come they don't understand that I'm not anything like those Mishimas?"

"That's just your hatred going out of control. The village didn't betray you. They just don't know who Jin Kazama really is. Things would have been very different if they did."

"I do remember my mother telling me not to hate Jin but…" Kazuki shakes his head for a moment. "…how can I not hate him? What he did years ago is the reason why I'm suffering today. I just don't understand."

"Did you forget that Jin was also the one who saved your life?" said Hayabusa. "When your mother told him that you were missing, he sat out to find you along with her and the others. How can you not see that he's different from Kazuya and Heihachi? The way you and the entire world look at your father is the same way the village looks at you."

Kazuki looks down upon this realization, wondering if his situation truly isn't any different from Jin's.

"What's worse; you're entering the tournament driven by your hatred for Mishimas and yet, by doing so, you're becoming very much like the Mishimas yourself. What do you think the village thinks about that?"

Kazuki remains silent. The one thing he really doesn't want is to be seen the same way as the Mishimas. This also reminds him of what Kazuya told him in their first encounter about what their hatred can truly bring.

"Remember this, Kazuki; you can stare into the abyss as long as you want but what will you do when it stares back at you?" Hayabusa then vanishes.

Kazuki closes his eyes and thinks hard about his decision to enter the tournament. He knows that his intentions could make the village either proud or ashamed of him.

Finally, he opens his eyes and smiles, saying "When I enter that tournament, I'm going in as a ninja of the Mugen Tenshin Clan, not as a Mishima."

* * *

 **Day of the Tournament**

Now is the day of the tournament. Some fighters from the previous tournament returns, along with newer fighters. By now, all of the fighters know that he's the son of Jin Kazama (who also enters the tournament) One particular fighter is a Chinese girl who is trained in kung-fu. An energetic girl wearing a blue Chinese dress and pigtails, she notices Kazuki as he enters the arena and approaches him.

"Hey, aren't you Kazuki?" she said. "Jin Kazama's son?"

Kazuki stand confused and a bit uncomfortable with question but still responds with "Yes, that's true."

"Alright! My name is Zhang." she then bows to Kazuki. "It's nice to meet you. This is my first time entering this tournament."

Kazuki bows in return, saying "Aren't you a little too young for a tournament like this?"

"Hey, I'm only 16!" said Zhang. "That's how old my mom was when she first entered these tournaments."

"Your mom competed in these tournaments too?"

"Yes, and she told me she was best friends with your dad. She said that even though he started that war a long time ago, she always believed that he was still a good person and never thought he was anything like Kazuya or Heihachi."

This once again contrasts to how Kazuki has viewed Jin over the years. He doesn't know how to respond to this.

"So you know, I was thinking, maybe we can be best friends too?" said Zhang. She holds out her hand and the two shake hands.

"Yeah…I guess so. Well…see you in the tournament, Zhang." says Kazuki as he quickly walks off.

"Be careful. We might have to fight each other so I hope you're ready." said Zhang.

Kazuki once again thinks about what he was just told. What has been consistently shown so far is that everybody who is close to Jin seems to imply that he's not like Kazuya or Heihachi. There has to be reasons for that and after the tournament is over, Kazuki plans to learn about what they are.

* * *

 **Hidden Japanese Village**

In a hidden Japanese village, Kasumi sits on the branch of a tree and looks at the stars at the sky. With a smile on her face, she says "I trust what Ryu told me. If Kazuki really is a strong warrior, then I believe that he can win. But I hope he understands what Jin did. Remember my words, Kazuki. Please don't hate your father."

She begins to think back on what Jin told her about why he declared war on the world. During that time, Kasumi was forced to put her pursuit for Victor Donovan on hold until it was all over but like everyone else, she also wanted to see Jin stopped and punished for his actions. It's not until after his alleged "death" that she learned more about his real intentions behind it. Jin doesn't think that Kazuki would ever understand but Kasumi is very sure that he would and believes that this would bring the two closer.

* * *

 **Mishima Dojo**

At the Mishima Dojo, Heihachi Mishima once again sits and meditates, thinking deeply about his decades long battle against those who possess the Devil Gene, starting with his wife Kazumi. Although he managed to kill her, he hasn't been as fortunate with Kazuya and Jin. He remembers each time when he first witnessed all of their Devil Forms and hopes that he doesn't experience the same thing with Kazuki.

"Merely killing Kazuki is not going to be enough." he says. "Perhaps launching him into space would be much better. Either way, I'll have to kill all three of them as soon as possible and then I can finally put an end to the Devil Gene."

To Be Continued.


	10. Hayabusa and Kazuki Battle On!

**Hayabusa and Kazuki Battle On!**

 **Ryu Hayabusa vs. Kazuya Mishima**

Before leaving for the tournament, Ryu Hayabusa made a promise to Kasumi, Hayate, and Ayane that he would watch over Kazuki and make sure he's well-prepared before entering the competition. He also wants to make sure that nothing dangerous will happen to him when he's at the tournament, which can only happen if Kazuki isn't focused. Hayabusa is confident that he is, so he enters believing that Kazuki is ready. For Hayabusa, he manages to advance through tournament, defeating the likes of Forrest Law, King, Raven, and Paul Phoenix.

Now, his next opponent is the ruthless Kazuya Mishima on the heliport. This is the first time the two has ever fought each other.

"I know all about your plans, Kazuya." said Hayabusa. "You're after Kazuki to use his Devil Gene powers. I will not let that happen."

"So, you do know about the Devil Gene?" said Kazuya. "What makes you think you can stand in my way?"

"The Hayabusa clan is dedicated to slaying demons such as yourself. You don't stand a chance."

"No matter how hard you try to stop me, you'll only just be delaying inevitable. Nothing will ever keep me from gaining those powers."

They then assume their fighting stances.

Kazuya advances forward with a punch but it's avoided by Hayabusa. Attempts a few more punches and kicks that are all blocked. Hayabusa then teleports behind Kazuya with a chopping hit to the back. Kazuya turns around to land a shot but Hayabusa dodges it. Kazuya dashes with a punch that is block but manages to land a leg kick, followed by another punch that knocks Hayabusa back. Kazuya attempts to land a punch but Hayabusa catches his hand and flips him over his knee. Hayabusa attempts to land a stomp but Kazuya rolls out of the way and unto his feet. He dashes forward and lands two punches and a kick that knocks Hayabusa down. Kazuya attempts a stomp of his own but Hayabusa rolls out the way and trips Kazuya's leg. When they both rise to their feet, they clash punches, causing an impact around the area. Afterwards, Hayabusa dashes away from Kazuya's uppercut but gets hit by a kick that knocks him down. As Hayabusa gets up, Kazuya shoots his Devil Beam attack but Hayabusa quickly avoids it. Kazuya then rushes forward with a punch but Hayabusa catches his hand, throws him into the air and does his signature Izuna Drop attack. Kazuya gets up and although wobbly, still attempts to attack but Hayabusa lands a summersault kick before blasting an energy beam at Kazuya, knocking him out.

The fight is over.

Afterwards, Hayabusa stands over the unconscious Kazuya and says "The world doesn't need demons like you."

* * *

 **Kazuki vs. Bryan Fury**

Kazuki's next opponent is the cybernetic psycho Bryan Fury in war-torn city. For the past twenty years, Bryan has been finding anybody strong enough to handle his brutal rage. Though he has been caught and locked up numerous times, Bryan always breaks out to find more victims to destroy. Therefore, it's no surprise that Bryan enters the King of Iron Fist Tournaments where numerous fighters from all around the world competes.

"There is one thing I do like about you Mishimas…and that is you all know how to start a war!" said Bryan. "War…feels so good!"

"You creep!" said Kazuki.

"Your father started the best war I could hope for! Now, when are you going to start the next one?"

"That's enough of your nonsense! You say anything like that again and I'll make you regret it!"

"Face it, kid! You're just a chip off the old block! War runs in your family and you are just like them!"

Too angry to say anymore, Kazuki gets into his fighting stance, as does Bryan.

Kazuki attempts land a kick but Bryan blocks it and tries to land a punch. Kazuki blocks the punch and lands a roundhouse kick to Bryan's face. However, Bryan continues to come forward and lands a hard punch that Kazuki blocks but still gets pushed back by the force of the punch. Kazuki charges to land a flying kick but Bryan catches his leg and slams him down. He then tries to land a punch but Kazuki moves out of the way and stands up. Kazuki then runs forward and does a flash kick that knocks Bryan down. Bryan simply stands up and attempts to land a kick but Kazuki dodges and tries to land a punch. Bryan catches his hand and lands a punch of his own. He attempts to follow up with a kick but Kazuki blocks it and lands a flying spinning kick that knocks Bryan down. However, Bryan simply stands up once again and charges forward with a strong punch that Kazuki blocks but still gets pushed back. Laughing like a maniac, Bryan then starts rapidly punching Kazuki, ending with a punch that knocks him down. Bryan begins laugh even more, thinking the fight is over until he sees Kazuki stand up. Grabbing his sword, Kazuki quickly runs to Bryan and, with great speed, rapidly slashes him five times, teleporting between each strike.

"Just what I expected…from a Mishima!" said Bryan. He then falls down, knocked out cold.

Fueled by anger about being compared to the Mishimas, Kazuki stands over his beaten foe but doesn't say anything. He holds his sword tightly, as if to decide whether or not to kill him but changes his mind and says "I'll save this for them!"

Just as he turns around to leave the area, he is confronted by Nina Williams and the Tekken Force soldiers. As Kazuki draws his sword as Nina and soldiers draw their guns.

"Lower your weapon now!" said Nina.

"Who the hell are you?" said Kazuki. "What do you want from me?"

"Heihachi Mishima would like to meet with you at his dojo. Lower your weapon, follow me, and there won't be any trouble."

Kazuki pauses for a moment before putting his katana back in his shealth. Nina and the soldiers then put away their guns.

A short while later at the Mishima Dojo, Heihachi sits and meditates as he patiently waits for Kazuki to show up. When he hears the footsteps, he doesn't even turn around. He knows exactly who it is.

"Kazuki, isn't it?" said Heihachi. "The son of Jin Kazama. We finally meet at last."

To Be Continued.


	11. A Great-grandson's Fall and Rise

**A Great-grandson's Fall…and Rise**

Just like in the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament, Kazuki has once again advanced pretty far in the tournament. However, suddenly and mysteriously, Heihachi Mishima has sent Nina to bring Kazuki to his dojo after his battle against Bryan Fury. Although he was warned by Jin that Heihachi would be after him due to his blood relation, Kazuki believes that this was too big of an opportunity to pass up, so he decides to meet with Heihachi at his dojo. After all, for him, this is much more personal anyway.

"Tell me something, boy," said Heihachi. "How does it feel to meet the sponsor of this tournament for the first time?"

Kazuki can't bring himself to answer the question.

"It should be an honor to do that. Not many people could make it to final battle against me."

Heihachi then stands up and turns around, saying "What's the matter? Paralyzed by fear?"

"What is the point of bringing me here?" said Kazuki. "What is it that you want from me? You kidnapped me in the last tournament but I still don't know why you did that. Is it because I'm Jin's son? Do you think I'm just like him or something?"

"For us Mishimas, the war between father and son is a never-ending battle. The things that drive Jin and Kazuya to not only oppose me but each other…is what makes them who they are. Hatred…hatred that makes them devils. Tell me something, boy; just how much do you hate your father?"

Kazuki thinks back for a moment to what his mother Kasumi told him.

 _Kazuki, please don't hate your father._

"I don't hate Jin," said Kazuki. "He saved my life. Why should I hate him after he did something like that?"

Heihachi laughs at the answer, much to Kazuki's confusion. "Do you really think it's that simple? Or are you just in denial? Everyone knows what Jin did years ago…and they hate him for it. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you don't hate him for the same reason."

"Listen, old man!" said an angry Kazuki. "I don't have time to listen to your nonsense! If there's anyone who people should hate, it's you!

"So, you direct your hatred towards me? You're just as foolish as your father! If you really hate me that much, then step forward…and prepare for your death, boy!"

They both assume their fighting stances.

Kazuki tries to land a couple of punches but Heihachi effortlessly blocks them. He then tries to land more punches and kicks but they're all easily blocked and avoided by Heihachi. Heihachi then lands a head butt, drawing blood from Kazuki's forehead. He then lands a hard punch to Kazuki's chest, knocking him down. As he smiles evily, Kazuki stands up and rushes forward, attempting to land an elbow shot but it gets blocked and countered by a hard uppercut to the chin that lifts him off the floor. Heihachi then lands a kick to the chest, knocking Kazuki down again. Kazuki realizes that Heihachi just may be more powerful than Kazuya but this doesn't deter him. His main goal to defeat Heihachi but his efforts keeps falling short. Kazuki teleports behind Heihachi to land a strike but Heihach times and blocks his shot. Heihachi smiles in cocky way while Kazuki looks in anger. Heihachi then tries to land a punch but gets surprise by a summersault kick to the chin. As Heihachi rubs his chin, Kazuki rushes forward with a jumping triple kick that knocks Heihachi down. Before he has a chance to stand up completely, Kazuki is already coming forward with a punch to the body that hurts Heihachi. Kazuki then lands a roundhouse kick that knocks Heihachi down. After standing up, Heihachi chuckles a little bit. Heihachi waves his hands around, in which lightning emits around his body. Kazuki then quickly dashes to land some more shots but this time, they just bounce off of Heihiachi, who quickly follow up with three punches to the chest, a head butt, and then finishes with a double handed palm attack that knocks Kazuki out.

Kazuki has lost.

Heihachi stands over him and says "Nice try, boy. But it seems that even with the Mugen Tenshin Style, you're still no match for a true warrior." An even smile spreads on his lips.

* * *

 **Arena**

Not long after that, the audience in the arena (which also includes numerous fighters) soon hear news that the tournament is cancelled. This confuses Jin Kazama, who believes something has to be up once again.

"Heihachi, what are you up to this time?" said Jin to himself.

Meanwhile, Ryu Hayabusa battles a group of Tekken Force soldiers to make his way to the Mishima Dojo to find some answers on Kazuki's whereabouts. Before he can make it, he gets stopped by the assassin Nina Williams.

"If you're looking for Kazuki, he's gone," she said. "Heihachi has taken him away."

"You will tell me where they are right now!" said Hayabusa.

"Information like that is not something I'll easily give out. You're just going to have fight for it."

"Then you leave me no choice."

Nina then quickly runs at Hayabusa with a jumping kick. Hayabusa teleports and hits Nina in the back with a chopping hit that knocks her down. Nina then tries to land a combination of open-handed strikes that Hayabusa dodges before eventually catching her hand and knees her in the stomach, knocking him down once again. After she gets up, she tries to land a combination of punches and kicks before eventually catching her leg and knocking her down with a jump kick.

"Damn it!" said Nina.

"You are not my enemy but if you continue to stand in my way, then I will show you no mercy," said Hayabusa. "Now tell me where they are?"

Not seeing any point in fighting back, Nina slowly stands up and says "I don't know where but I remember him saying that he plans to launch Kazuki into space."

"What?" said Hayabusa.

"He says that that's how he will prevent the Devil Gene from awakening. He doesn't just want Kazuki dead. He wants him destroyed."

Hayabusa looks away and says "Kazuki! No!" He then quickly runs from the area while Nina looks on.

She shakes her head, thinking about the possible chaos that this could cause. "What will happen this time?"

* * *

 **Mishima Zaibatsu Helicopters**

During this same time, a group of helicopters are flying in the dark sky. In one of these helicopters, Heihachi sits next to an unconscious Kazuki, who is laying on a stretcher.

"I'm lucky to have taken that drug to make me younger, otherwise, you would have been bad news," said Heihachi. "Now it's finally time to get rid of you."

But as he looks closer at Kazuki, he notices something strange about him; black markings begin to form on Kazuki's forehead. Heihachi eyes widen and his mouth open, as he knows exactly what this means.

"Oh no, you won't!" he said. He quickly picks up Kazuki and throws him out of the helicopter. He then watches his body fall into the darkness and continues to look for a few minutes.

Heihachi, although terrified at first, then begins to smile and says "There's no way he can survive that."

He is about to order the pilot to turn around but before he can, the helicopter is hit with a loud thump. Heihachi once again looks frighten about what this could mean.

"Or can he?" he asked.

As he looks out of the helicopter, he sees a figure with black wings chasing after the helicopters.

It's exactly what he feared; Kazuki has transformed into a devil.

Thinking quickly, Heihachi opens his parachute and jumps out of the helicopter just moments before Devil Kazuki destroys all of them with a laser beam from his forehead. The impact of the explosions sends Heihachi flying and out of sight, so Devil Kazuki flies away in the opposite direction, believing that he has eliminated his target.

Heihachi, while still in the air, continues to look back but doesn't see Devil Kazuki anywhere. After a sigh of relief, he says "Well…here we go again."

To Be Continued.


	12. Devil Unleashed

**Devil Unleashed**

Heihachi had hoped to destroy Kazuki in order to prevent him from transforming into a devil. However, ironically enough, it is Heihachi himself who may have caused that to happen. After defeating Kazuki, Heihachi had planned to launch him into space but Devil Gene powers were awakened and Heihachi just barely survived his attack. Ryu Hayabusa, after being told by Nina Williams about Heihachi's plans, raced to the Mishima Dojo in hopes to stop him but realizes that he may be too late. He finds no traces of Kazuki or Heihachi anywhere.

Believing that he may be too late, Hayabusa looks up at the sky and says "I'm sorry, Kasumi. Please forgive me."

Meanwhile, Jin Kazama walks into the parking lot outside of the arena. He is not sure why Heihachi cancelled the tournament but knows that he's not up to no good. He does believe that Kazuki is safe, with Hayabusa being a helpful ally.

As he continues to think, Jin hears a familiar male voice.

"Twenty-years, huh Jin?" said the voice.

"Hwoarang?" said Jin as he looks up at his rival.

"Twenty-years since we last fought. That's quite a long time, don't you think? How much longer will it be before we have our next match?"

"That's something I can't say. As of right now, I have family problems to deal with. That's far more important."

Years ago, Hwoarang would have been upset at Jin for turning down a match but instead, he chuckles a little and says "When you're in a tournament like this, you're bound to have family problems. Trust me, I know."

Jin is a little surprise at this comment. "Hwoarang?"

"My daughter was in the last tournament and it was the first time I saw her in years," said Howoarang. "It's kind of strange to run into your kid in a tournament like that."

"You have a daughter?" asked Jin. "Why have you not seen her in so many years?"

"Because she lives in Germany. Neither her mother or grandfather liked me that well. In fact, they hate me. The old man never did like my lifestyle…but I couldn't help that so screw him."

This somewhat disturbs Jin, who has no resentments towards the mother of his child or her family, despite how they may feel about him.

As Hwoarang walks off, he says "Don't go around like you're the only one who has family problems. When you're placed in a tournament where you may to fight your own kid…it's kind of scary."

This truly unsettles Jin, who doesn't want to fight Kazuki but fears that he may have to one day. He believes that Kazuki hates him for starting the war years ago and this may lead to a battle between the two, confirming what Kazuya said.

At that moment, Jin's transmitter rings and he answers.

The caller is Lars.

"Jin! Kazuki has been kidnapped by Heihachi!"

"What?" said Jin.

"Ryu told me that Heihachi is going to launch him into outer space! We don't know where they are now! We don't even know if we're too late. Ryu tried to find him but they were both gone before he could."

Angrily making a fist, Jin's eyes glow red and says "No! Heihachi, no!" In a furious scream, Jin's spreads his wings and flies in the air.

Despite his contempt for the Devil Gene in his blood, Jin reluctantly uses his powers if it means finding Heihachi and Kazuki. As he flies through the sky in the dark night, he vows that he would kill Heihachi if his plans succeed, even at the cost of his own humanity.

While flying through the air, he looks down and notices a forest that has been destroyed. Although there appears to be nobody injured or even around, Jin flies down at the forest to look around and notices that the trees and leaves all appear to have been burned. However, Jin knew that these burnt spots were not by fire. He can feel the feint devil energy in the burnt spots.

"Kazuki," said Jin. "So that means that he is alive…but where could he be?"

Later that night, Ryu breaks the news to Kasumi, Hayate, and Ayane about Kazuki's transformation. The next day, in the hidden Japanese village where Kasumi resides, Ryu meets up to talk to Kasumi about his plans to find the now missing Kazuki. He had already discussed this with Jin the previous night and Jin agreed.

"No need to worry, Kasumi," said Ryu. "Irene is already out there looking for Kazuki. She will track him down."

"But what if she encounters Heihachi? Or Kazuya?" said Kasumi.

"Now that Kazuki has transformed, it's not likely that Heihachi would be looking for him anymore and Kazuya knows nothing about him being missing. Irene should be safe."

"I hope so," said Kasumi, as she looks up at the sky. "Please, be safe, Kazuki."

* * *

 **Sandy Desert**

During this time, in a sandy desert in Japan, a shirtless Kazuki walks aimlessly on unsteady legs, hunched over and breathing heavily. He has almost no memories of what happened the previous day after his fight against Heihachi. The only thing he remembers is destroying the Mishima Zaibatsu helicopters. Shortly afterwards, Kazuki, in his devil form, went on a rampage, destroying forests and houses but never any people. He eventually loses consciousness from his furious rage. Once he does regain consciousness the following day, he's back to his normal form but is now alone, lost, and confused, his mind not completely there and is extremely tired. He still has not truly recovered from his transformation.

He then begins to hallucinate, thinking he sees Heihachi. "There…you…are!" He tries to attack by shooting a laser attack but with so very little energy in him, quickly falls on the ground right after that. In reality, he's the only one in that area.

At that moment, Ryu's partner Irene Lew, who is flying in her helicopter, sees the blast a good distance away.

"What was that?" she said. She then quickly flies to the desert where she sees Kazuki walking. "Kazuki! My goodness! What is he doing here in the middle of nowhere?"

Kazuki looks up and sees the helicopter landing next to him. Looking at it closely, he begins to have flash backs of him destroying the helicopters from last night.

"Heihachi?" he said.

Irene quickly jumps out of the helicopter and runs up to him. "Kazuki! It's me Irene!"

"Irene…"

"Come on! Let's go! Hurry!"

As she runs to grab Kazuki to bring inside the helicopter, she notices a large plane in the sky. The plane is heading straight for their spot and slowly starts landing. Irene looks in confusion. She knows it can't be Heihachi or Kazuya and the name on the plane confirms it.

"MIST?" she said.

The door opens and reveals three people; a hooded man named Rig, the white-haired female assassin Christie, and a large, older man with cybernetic features.

The man is Raidou.

"Oh no!" she said, realizing the danger that they're in.

Without warning, Raidou laughs and shoots a blast at both Irene and Kazuki, hitting them. Both are knocked to the ground. Irene is hurt but is still conscious while Kazuki is knocked out.

Raidou then walks to stand over the unconscious Kazuki and says "Mugen Tenshin Ninja!" He then picks up Kazuki, places him on his shoulder, and then walks back into the plane. After the door closes, the plane quickly flies off.

Irene stands up and watches as the plane flies off. She shakes her head over her failure and says "How can we have forgotten about Donovan? This is not good."

* * *

 **Hidden Village**

Soon after Kazuki's capture, Irene flies to the hidden Japanese village where Kasumi and Hayabusa are waiting. Both are confident that Irene will bring Kazuki back safe but instead, they got the news that neither one of them expected.

"Donovan? That man kidnapped my son?" said Kasumi.

"Yes. I'm sorry, it would have been too dangerous for me to go at it alone," said Irene. "We were outnumbered and Kazuki was in no condition to defend himself."

"We must find him fast!" said Kasumi. "Donovan will just use him for his experiments. We can't let him find out about the Devil Gene. It'll be very dangerous for everybody."

"I'm sure he'll be well prepared for any kind of retaliation from us by now," said Hayabusa. "Therefore, we're not only going to need Hayate and Ayane but also Jin. He could be a big help to us." As he turns around and prepare to leave, he says "Irene, take Kasumi to the Violet Systems Headquarters. I'll meet with Hayate and Ayane."

"Right," said Irene.

"And Kasumi, do not be worried about Kazuki," said Hayabusa. "He'll be brought back safe. I promise." Kasumi nods.

He then leaves to inform Hayate and Ayane while Irene flies Kasumi to Violet Systems. During the flight, the two women have a discussion about Kazuki. Irene first saw Kazuki when he was only a baby but has rarely seen him ever since. Still, she, like Hayabusa, cares deeply about him and wants to make sure he's safe from any harm.

"So, Kasumi, I just want to know; how do you feel about Kazuki having the Devil Gene?" said Irene. "From what Master Hayabusa has told me, that power is very dark and dangerous. How are you able to handle that, knowing that your son has that power?"

"Because even though he has the Devil Gene, it still doesn't change who he is," said Kasumi. "Jin also has the Devil Gene but he's not anything like Kazuya and neither is Kazuki. The only thing that I'm worried about is whatever path he takes. I don't want him to take the wrong path, the path of hatred. That is why I want him to understand his father and see through his mistakes, just like I did."

"Do you believe he could really keep Kazuki from taking the wrong path? Jin still plans to destroy Kazuya and Heihachi. I'm certain Kazuki does as well."

"The battle between father and son has to be prevented and that is only possible if there is no hatred between Jin and Kazuki."

"I understand."

"Jin believes that as long as he's alive, they will have to face each other one day. I will not let that happen. I can't!"

* * *

 **Violet Systems Headquarters**

The two eventually make it to the Violet Systems Headquarters where they tell Jin and the others about Kazuki's capture. Jin had expected that Kazuki would return to his village after he gets back to normal so he didn't feel any need to search for him. Therefore, he is completely unprepared for what he is told.

"Kazuki has been kidnapped again?" said Jin. "What possible reason would MIST want with him? They couldn't have known about the Devil Gene."

"Donovan probably knows that Kazuki is my son," said Kasumi. "He'll do the same to him what he did to me; used to create a clone. We must stop him from doing that!"

"Wait," said Lee. "Do you think it's possible that he could clone the Devil Gene? Doing something like that could be a major disaster."

"It's not impossible," said Irene. "Donovan's technology is incredibly advanced. He can do many things that others can only dream of doing."

"The clone that he created of you, what was it like?" asked Lars.

"It was named Alpha 152," said Kasumi "It was a clone of me but it had the skills of other fighters as well."

"Is this clone still around?"

"No. We managed to destroy it. But Donovan will not stop until his project is completed."

"Then we have to find him fast before he starts the process. If he has, however, then we must destroy his place before anything else happens."

"We should destroy it anyway," said Jin. "Nobody else should have to suffer at the hands of MIST. Alisa, do you think you can blow up the lab once we rescue Kazuki?"

"Yes, I definitely can," said Alisa.

"Good. Now what about Ryu and the others?"

"Ryu has gone to tell Hayate and Ayane about everything," said Irene. "If they join us, then we can certainly get Kazuki out of there. Donovan can't take on all of us."

Jin nods in agreement.

* * *

 **MIST**

Later that night, in a laboratory of the organization known as MIST, Kazuki slowly wakes up and looks around, realizing that he's in a bed. He barely remembers anything that happened in the desert so he is still unaware what's going on, who captured him, or how he was captured. The only thing he remembers is the foggy image of Irene Lew and three more people in a landing airplane.

"Where…where am I now?" asked Kazuki. "Is this the Mishima Zaibatsu?" He looks around the facility, he sees two men approaching him. One is a normal sized wearing a mask while the other is a larger one.

"Greetings, Kazuki," said the masked man. "I am Victor Donovan, the leader of MIST. How are you feeling?"

"MIST?" said Kazuki. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Perhaps you've heard of me. Our goal here at MIST is to create the ultimate fighter, the most powerful warrior in the world, and you're more than capable in helping us create that."

"Helping you create it?" Kazuki gets out of the bed, saying "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Your DNA is just what we need to try out our next project. Don't worry. Many other fighters have failed but if your mother was a different story, then certainly you are as well."

"My mother?"

"After she won the first Dead or Alive tournament, I knew she was a worthy test subject for my new project. Turns out I was right. She was just what I need to create the ultimate fighter. You're her son so you should be just as worthy as she was. You should be proud."

"Well, I'm not. I didn't agree to this and I'm not interested."

"That's too bad. You don't realize how gifted you are but you will soon."

"What do you mean?" Kazuki angrily said.

The larger man steps forward and says "You should be lucky that Donovan wants you alive, otherwise, I would have done the same thing to you what your mother did to me! Trust me, I would love to see her face if she sees your dead body!"

Kazuki looks at the cybernetic features on the man, thinking that his body may have been destroyed in a battle.

"Raidou, take it easy," said Donovan.

"Raidou?" said a surprised Kazuki. "But they told me that you were destroyed! How…?"

"I have the best technology in the world," said Donovan. "I can do the impossible. Soon, you'll see for yourself, Mr. Kazuki."

Kazuki makes a fist and says "You will not use me as your next subject! I will make sure of that!"

Raidou laughs and says "Go ahead and try to get through us! Let's see what you got, great-nephew!"

Donovan quickly backs away as Kazuki charges toward Raidou to land a kick. However, Raidou calmly blocks the kick and several other kicks and punches as he laughs at Kazuki. After catching Kazuki's arm, Raidou lands a powerful punch to Kazuki's stomach that sends him flying across the room. The force of the punch causes Kazuki to cough up blood. But nevertheless, he gets up to try again, this time teleporting before trying to land a kick but Raidou catches his leg in midair. As Kazuki looks horrified, Raidou, laughing once again, brings Kazuki to the ground with a hard slam.

Not yet satisfied, Raidou grabs and picks up Kazuki by the hair and says "You'll never be the leader of the Mugen Tenshin Clan! You're too weak!"

Kazuki tries to land a punch but Raidou catches it with his cybernetic hand and begins to crush it. As Kazuki grimaces in pain, Raidou punches him in the face with the other hand. To finish the fight, Raidou ends it with a hard uppercut to Kazuki's chin, sending him flying upwards before crashing down on the floor.

With Kazuki unconscious again, Raidou tries to finish him off until he hears Donovan's voice.

"That's enough, Raidou!" said Donovan. "You've done your part already. He won't be leaving anytime soon."

Donovan walks up to the unconscious Kazuki and says "Now, let's try out our next test subject."

To Be Continued.


	13. Discovery

**Discovery**

Kazuki, with the help of his Devil Gene powers, managed to escape from Heihachi, only to be captured once again, this time by MIST. The leader of MIST, Victor Donovan, has a history with DOATEC, having use to work for Helena Douglas's father, Fame Douglas. After having Fame assassinated, Donovan became the main driving force of DOATEC, capturing many warriors to create the ultimate fighter, something he continues to do to this day through his own company MIST.

Donovan also has a history with the Mugen Tenshin Clan, having kidnapped Kasumi and Hayate years ago and used Kasumi's DNA to create clones. He now wishes to use Kazuki for the same thing since his mother was such a success. As a result, Kasumi, Hayate, and Ayane would sometimes work together with Helena as allies in order to take down Donovan.

Now, after searching for Donovan themselves for some time, they've come to Helena's tritower for help again, this time with Hayabusa, Lars, Irene, and Jin.

"Please, tell me where Donovan is?" asked Kasumi. "He has kidnapped my son."

Helena slowly turns toward her allies and says "Our surveillance has shown that MIST's airplane was heading to an island somewhere in the South Pacific yesterday. It is probably where your son is currently being held."

"Even if we do manage to find him, what if it's too late?" said Hayate. "Kazuki has been there for a long time now."

"It has been years since you have destroyed his lab, so I do not know how far his project has come. All I know is that he is still searching for the right fighter to complete it. Considering he has yet to make an attack on us, it is safe to assume that he has not found the right person…until now."

"He's such a scum!" said Ayane. "Someone has to make him pay for this."

Jin thinks deeply about something, trying decide what to say. He looks down for a moment and says "I'm not sure if you know about this, but…Kazuki has this thing called the Devil Gene," said Jin. "Anyone who has it can transform in to a devil. My father and I have it as well. Now it has passed on Kazuki. Do you know if Donovan is able to clone that?"

"I'm afraid I cannot give you a definite answer to that, Jin," said Helena. "However, Donovan has managed to do many things with his technology, it is certainly not impossible."

"Just in case he does, we have to stop him fast," said Lars. "We can't risk having the world full of Devil Gene users."

"Exactly!" said Hayabusa. "Something like that could possibly bring about something as dangerous as Azazel or even Bankotsubo."

"This world would just be in another chaotic state again," said Irene. "Or worse."

"Then I suggest you hurry," said Helena. She then looks at Kasumi and says "Kasumi, protect your son, just as I am protecting mine."

Kasumi looks around to see Bruno and asks "Where is Bruno anyway?"

"He's in another one of his street fights again. I have told that boy numerous times how dangerous it is to be by himself. He never listens."

"Your son Bruno is a fighter as well?" said Lars.

Helena then pulls up photos of Bruno Douglas on her screen during many of his earlier fights.

"He competed in Savate in the amateurs. He was seen as a prodigy, destined for greatness. At 17, he turned pro, winning all of his fights. But then, just two years into his pro career, someone tried to take his life. It was the work of a professional. Bruno was not harmed but since then, we've agreed that his career would be put on hold until we find out who was behind it. But Bruno keeps going out there on his own, even though it's too dangerous for him. I'm worried that something will happen to him if he keeps leaving like this."

Kasumi begins to think about how she felt about Kazuki being away from her home village. "I understand how you feel, Helena. I didn't want Kazuki to be away from his home either."

Jin also begins to think back on his own childhood, growing up under his mother Jun. "I would say some things to him but I just can't show myself to people like that. I was the one who ordered an attack on his mother after all."

"Then if you don't mind, Helena, I'd like to have a little talk with Bruno once all of this is done," said Lars. "Maybe he'd be better off listening to somebody who saved his mother from the attack instead."

Helena smiles, almost as if she was hoping to hear this all along.

"Yes….and I must apologize, Helena," said Jin. "I thought it would help put an end to the Devil Gene but I was wrong. I am deeply sorry about that."

"Is that so?" said Helena. "You know, the Mishima Zaibatsu has been enemies with DOATEC for years. It would be huge news for people to see DOATEC helping a Mishima for the first time."

"None of that really matters to me. DOATEC has never been my real enemy. I have my own battles against Kazuya and Heihachi."

Helena calmly smiles and says "Don't worry. I have no interest in carrying on my father's rivalry either. I accept your apology.

"Let's go, everyone!" said Hayabusa. "Every second counts."

They all leave the DOATEC Tritower as Helena watches on.

Hidden within the room, however, was the Russian mercenary and bodyguard Bayman, who has been tracking Donovan for years.

"It seems that my information was more useful than I thought," said Bayman. "This should be enough to take down Donovan."

"I still wouldn't underestimate him," said Helena. "He always has plans to escape and continue his project. We can only see if this will be enough to stop him for good this time."

"This Devil Gene that they speak of seems to be very dangerous. I wonder if Donovan is aware of the risks that he's taking."

"Who knows? This may be the one project that could backfire on him. I just hope it's not too late before the others arrive. In the meantime, we should be preparing to announce the next tournament."

* * *

 **MIST**

Later that night at MIST'S headquarters, the white-haired female assassin Christie talks to Donovan through a large monitor on a wall.

"The ninjas have more allies this time," she says. "I'm almost certain that one of them is Jin Kazama. He is Kazuki's father after all."

"Yes, Kazuki is the son of Jin Kazama and Kasumi, two of the greatest warriors in the world," said Donovan. "So, we have to make sure…that the samples are all safe."

"What?" said Christie. "The 'samples'? What about us?"

"We can't afford to lose this project. We're just one step closer to entering the next Phase and Kazuki just may be what we need to do it. He has a special gift. Do not waste it, Christie."

The monitor turns off.

Christie is angry. She hates how Donovan cares more about his project than his subordinates. She also feels that this encounter could be more dangerous than the previous ones.

"That bastard is going to get us all killed!" said Christie.

Soon after, the warriors in their two helicopters finally arrive at the island. Hayate, Kasumi, and Ayane drop off from Irene's helicopter while Jin and Lars drop off from Lee's.

They look around at the facility, knowing that it has to be MIST's place.

"This has to be the place," said Hayate. "It's just like where he found the old lab years ago. This is definitely Donovan's place."

As they approach the entrance door, they are attacked by a few MIST helicopters, who shoots at the warriors. They managed to avoid the gunshots until a bunch of soldiers drop down from one of them.

The five warriors manage to take on the soldiers without much trouble. Kasumi, Hayate, and Ayane all use their weapons to slash them down while Jin and Lars rely solely on their hand-to-hand combat skills.

Dropping down from one of the helicopters is Christie, the one who ordered the attack on the warriors. The ninjas are already familiar with Christie, having encountered her numerous times during their battles against Donovan.

"So, we meet again," said Christie. "Coming to look for your son, huh Kasumi?"

"My son…where is he?" said an angry Kasumi.

"Don't worry. He's still alive. He is Donovan's newest test subject after all."

"Then it's true!" said Lars. "Donovan must be using him to create clones."

Kasumi gets in her fighting stance while Jin steps forward. However, he gets halted by Hayate.

"There is something I want to know," said Hayate. "How did you know that Kazuki was Kasumi's son?"

Christie laughs and says "It was so easy."

* * *

 **Local Bar in New York City**

Days earlier, before the previous King of Iron Fist tournament and a day after Kazuya's attack on the Mugen Tenshin Village, the news about the attack starts to spread, with some people not knowing why Kazuya would attack the village. This attack happened not long after the news about Kazuki broke out to the world.

At a local bar in New York City, Christie, Rig, and former pro-wrestler Bass Armstrong watches the news of the attack on television. They are very familiar with the Mugen Tenshin Clan, having competed in the Dead or Alive tournaments alongside Kasumi, Hayate, and Ayane. They have a good idea for why Kazuya have attacked the village.

"Whattdaya know; news breaks out about a Mishima being a ninja and now Kazuya starts attacking ninjas," said Bass. "I'll tell ya, that's one dysfunctional family."

"I say he's in for a real fight if he provokes a battle with the Mugen Tenshin Clan," said Christie. "This is not like fighting against the Mishima Zaibatsu."

"I admit, I'm a little interested in seeing how far this goes," says Rig. "That clan could probably end it all for both Kazuya and Heihachi."

During the conversation, a young man with blonde spikey hair and blue eyes walks into the bar. With his black sleeveless shirt, blue pants, black boots, and fingerless gloves, this is someone who clearly just been in a fight.

"Hey, Bruno!" said Bass. "A lil' later than usual, eh? Lemme guess; you just got done fightin', right?"

"Yes, I have to do something to stay active," said Bruno.

"So, who won?"

"Ha! Nice joke."

He then sits next Bass to watch news on TV about Kazuya's attack.

"The Mugen Tenshin Village was attacked?" said Bruno.

"Yeah!" said Bass. "You didn't hear? Kazuya and his G Corporation attacked that village last night."

"Then maybe it's true after all. There's no other reason for why he would attack that particular village."

This catches Christie and Rig's attention,

"You know Bruno, the Mugen Tenshin ninjas have also competed in the Dead or Alive tournaments," said Christie. "Did Helena ever tell you that?"

"Yes, and I also know that one of the ninjas, a woman named Kasumi, won the first tournament that was hosted by my grandfather," said Bruno.

"So just how much do you know about Mugen Tenshin Clan?" asked Rig.

"Only a little," said Bruno. "I just know that Kasumi sometimes come to my mother for help…and I didn't even know until yesterday that she has a son."

"What?" said Bass. "That girl's got a kid?"

"Yeah," said Bruno. "That ninja Kazuki that everyone is talking about? That's her son."

"Wow!" said Bass. "Never saw that coming! When I first saw her, she still looked like a kid herself. Shows how old I'm gettin'. Hey, speaking of kids, my daughter Tina wanted to go do movies and everything like that but I didn't like that idea so…"

While Bass talks to Bruno about his own history with his daughter, Christie and Rig glance at each other for a moment.

"Donovan is going to love this," said Christie.

"You got that right," said Rig.

* * *

 **Present Day**

"Bruno! He had no idea!" said Hayate.

"It's true; he knew almost nothing about the Mugen Tenshin Clan but what little he did know was just what we needed," said Christie.

"You may have captured Kazuki but we will get him back!" said Kasumi as she gets in her fighting stance.

Kasumi quickly charges forward with an elbow hit but it gets blocked by Christie's forearm. Kasumi attempts a trip but Christie jumps back from it. She then follows with a kick but Christie dodges behind her and hits her in the back with fast snake-like strikes. While Kasumi stunned, Christie follows up with a kick that knocks her down. Christie tries to stomp but Kasumi rolls out of the way and runs towards Christie, only to teleport behind her and knock her down with an elbow strike. As Christie gets up, she kicks one of Kasumi's leg, grabs the other one, then lands a hard hit to Kasumi's body, knocking her down. As Kasumi gets up, Christie runs forward with a jumping kick but Kasumi avoids it by teleporting behind her once again and lands a jumping kick on Christie's back, knocking her down. After getting up, Kasumi and exchanges punches and kicks. During the exchange, Kasumi catches Christie's arm and lands an elbow to her stomach, knocking her away. Kasumi then leaps into the air to land a kick but Christie sees it coming and uses her hand to push herself into the air to land an upward flying kick to Kasumi's chin, knocking her down. As she gets up, Christie attempts to land a kick but Kasumi catches her leg and lands a spinning kick to Christie's face, returning the knockdown. Christie attempts to land another snake-style strike but Kasumi catches her arm and slams her to the ground. Out of anger, Christie charges forward, only get kicked in the face by summersault kick from Kasumi, knocking her out.

With Christie out, they take her ID card and use it to open MIST's door, which leads to a large facility.

"Let's hurry," said Kasumi.

Elsewhere in the headquarters of MIST, Donovan once again appears on a large monitor to talk to someone.

"They've finally arrived," said Donovan. "Are you ready to show them how much you've improved?"

"Yes. I'm very grateful for what you've done, Mr. Donovan. Now I'm ready to show everybody your work."

"Good. Don't let me down, Kazuki. The whole world needs people like you."

The monitor turns off and Kazuki, now wearing a dark red shirt, walks towards the area where the five warriors are. He calmly smiles as his eyes glow red. What could this mean?

To Be Continued.


	14. Family or Foe?

**Family or Foe?**

With the help of Helena Douglas, the ninjas, along with Jin, Lars, Lee, and Alisa, managed to find MIST's lab located in the South Pacific. It is where Kazuki is currently being held by Donovan to be used for his next experiment. Kasumi was once used by Donovan to create clones such as the dreadful Alpha 152 and believes that Kazuki will be used for the same thing. After defeating Christie, the warriors managed to make their way inside of MIST's headquarters.

When they enter, they walk into what appears to be a large, round platform, similar to a ring. However, Hayate prevents everyone from walking without looking around first.

"Careful!" said Hayate. "Donovan may have planned a trap on us. That's how he captured us before."

"You're right," said Kasumi. "We should approach this with caution."

As Ayane looks ahead, she notices a person approaching them through a slide door.

"Look! Someone is approaching us!" she said as she gets in her fighting position.

"Must be one of his other bodyguards," said Lars.

Jin patiently waits to see who this person is.

The person turns out to be Rig.

"Well, it looks like we meet again, ninjas," he said. "Nice of you to bring some friends along with you this time."

"Where is Kazuki?" asked Kasumi with a fierce look. "Tell us now!"

"Hey, take it easy, 'mommy'. You know we're not going to hand him over so easily. If you want to find Kazuki, you'll have get through me first."

Jin steps forward and says "Then so be it."

Rig looks with a cocky smile on his face.

"Well if isn't the great Jin Kazama, who dropped off the face of the Earth…because he couldn't win a war that he started."

These words anger the fighters, especially Jin. As he makes a fist, it begins to emit lightning around it, as if to demonstrate how angry he is.

"I don't know about Kazuki but if I had the misfortune of having a dad like you…I'd be one angry guy by now."

"That's enough!" said an angry Jin. "If you want to finish talking, then you better be brave enough to do it with your fists!"

They both get in their fighting stances.

Rig starts off with a combination of kicks that Jin blocks. Jin then tries to land punch but Rig catches his arm, allows him to land a fast three-kick combo. While stunned, Jin gets knocked down with another kick. Jin calmly gets up as Rig resumes another combination of kicks but this time, Jin, seeing an opening, trips Rig's standing leg, causing him to fall. Rig immediately gets back up and tries to land more kicks. The speed of these kicks forces Jin on the backfoot, as he blocks and dodges them. Although Jin recognizes the style as Taekwondo since his rival Hwoarang also uses it, he notices that the speed of Rig's kicks is greater than any opponent he's ever faced. Rig eventually lands a kick to Jin's face that causes him to spin a little. He blocks two upcoming kicks but gets with a third kick, a spinning jump kick that knocks him down.

Thinking he has the fight won, Rig begins to walk around with his arms wide.

"Well, it seems that even the big bad Jin Kazama is no match for me. Too bad," said Rig. He then starts walking up to Jin and says "Just to show how low you are compared to MIST…" He then lifts his leg and attempts to land a one more kick to end the fight. However, Jin catches his arm and counters with a hard punch to the stomach that knocks Rig across the platform. Rig gets up and decides that he has to take the fight more seriously. Jin then comes forward with two punches that are blocked by Rig but manages to land a leg that briefly catches him off-guard. Jin takes this opportunity to land a punch to Rig's rib and another to his head. After backing off to collect himself, Rig comes back with more combination of kicks but Jin dodges, runs behind him, and lands an elbow to Rig's back. Rig then begins to move around a little bit and then, unexpectedly, jumps high into the air and does a cartwheel kick so fast that it knocks Jin down before he can block it in time. Rig then tries to finish Jin off with a stomp but Jin quickly gets up and responds with a three-punch combo to Rig's stomach before landing with a hard uppercut to Rig's chin, which returns the knockdown.

With Rig lay beaten on the ground and struggling to get up, Jin stands straight and says "It's over! Take us to Kazuki right now."

"Fine!" said Rig as he stands up. Without further words, he leads them to the next room, which is very similar to the previous one, only this one is much larger. As they approach the next platform, they can all see a someone awaiting them.

To the fighters, that person is definitely Kazuki.

"You want him? You got him," said Rig as he drops down from the platform.

"Hey, everyone! It's me!" he said.

"Kazuki?" said Kasumi.

"He doesn't look like he's been harmed by anything," said Lars.

Hayate walks up to get a closer look at Kazuki. After a few seconds, he says "How do you feel, Kazuki?"

"I'm…feeling okay," said Kazuki as he looks at his hands. "No problems at all so far."

Jin looks around to see anybody else or anything that looks unusual.

"Where is Donovan?" asked Jin. "Is he here?"

"I don't know," said Kazuki. "I don't think so. I haven't seen him in person today."

"Well, whether he's here or not, we're still going to destroy this place."

"What?" said Kazuki. "But why would you do something like that?"

"'Why'?" said Kasumi as she walks forward. "Kazuki, don't you know what Donovan is up to by now?"

There is a short pause.

"Well…yes…I guess," said Kazuki. "It's just that…I thought that all that mattered was me getting out of this place."

"Donovan has to be stopped, Kazuki," said Kasumi. "We can't let him escape again."

"Besides, he'll just keep coming after you," said Ayane. "Is that what you want?"

"I'm sure if Donovan wanted me for anything, he wouldn't let me go like this, so what would be the point in attacking him if he let me go free?"

Something about Kazuki is very different. Everyone looks at each other in confusion.

"Besides, shouldn't we be after Heihachi and Kazuya?" he continued. "Those are our real enemies."

"Is he brainwashed?" Lars whispers to the crowd.

"No…it's something else," said Jin.

"Yes, it is," said Ayane as she gets in her stance. "He is not what he appears to be."

"Yes, it's just another one of Donovan's clones," said Hayate as he gets in his stance. "His power isn't completely normal. You can barely feel something else inside of him."

"Donovan has already made a clone?" said Kasumi. "No…I will not let this happen!"

"I'm not a clone! I promise. Mother, you have to believe me. You do believe me, don't you?"

Kasumi just looks to the side. She knows it's a clone but can't bring herself to destroy it because it looks so much like her son. Jin notices Kasumi's look and decides to step forward to take on the clone himself but Ayane halts him.

"Let me and Hayate handle this," she says to Jin, who nods in agreement.

Hayate and Ayane walk forward into the round platform and getting their fighting stances while the others step back.

The Kazuki clone looks at the ninjas approaches him. He is expression changes from normal to anger, as his eyes glow red.

"So...everyone is turning their back on me now?" he said. "Fine! I'll make sure you all regret this!" He gets into his own fighting stance.

To Be Continued.


	15. Deadly Reunion

**Deadly Reunion**

The fighters arrive at MIST where they defeat both Christie and Rig, who leads them to what appears to be Kazuki. However, the fighters figure it out that it's actually a clone and now Hayate and Ayane step forward to destroy it.

"Ayane. Now," said Hayate.

Hayate dashes forward with his sword as does Ayane. Hayate slashes as the Kazuki clone but it teleports through both of them, hitting them with great speed. The clone takes out its own sword to land a hit that clashes with Hayate's. During the struggle, Ayane runs behind the clone to stab but in a blink of an eye, it does a backflip in the air, avoiding the attack. Soon after it lands, Hayate and Ayane both charge at the clone, who dodges Ayane's attack and teleports from Hayate's before landing a kick to Hayate's face. Ayane attempts to hit the clone with a blast but it jumps out of the way. Hayate then charges forward with another slashing attack that clashes with the clone's and this time, Ayane throws a shuriken at the clone's knee. With the clone distracted, Hayate seizes the opportunity to land the final slashing blow on the clone. The attack causes the clone to drop his sword and slowly fall to the ground.

Thinking that the clone is dead, Hayate and Ayane looks around to see where the real Kazuki might be.

"Alright, your little trick is over," said Hayate. "Now either hand over the real Kazuki or we'll find him ourselves!"

There is no answer. Everyone looks around to see if anybody else would show up. However, Jin looks down at the Kazuki clone, as he begins to feel some dark energy coming from. Soon, everybody begins to see a dark red aura form around its body.

"No! It can't be!" said Jin.

The clone slowly stands up. Black marks begin to form on its forehead, horns sprout from its head, and wings begins to spread.

"Oh no! Donovan did clone the Devil Gene!" said Hayate.

Without warning, the clone uses its telekinesis to send Hayate and Ayane flying into the others. Realizing that this fight could get more dangerous, Jin steps forward to fight it, as does Kasumi.

"We'll stop it together!" said Kasumi.

"Kasumi?" said Jin. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I am. That is not Kazuki. He's not a devil. That…is not my son!"

"Then don't hold back," said Jin.

Jin rushes forward with a strong punch to the abdomen, followed by an uppercut to the chin that knocks the clone down. However, it quickly stands up as if it didn't faze him and with lightning speed, dashes forward to Jin with a strong uppercut that returns the knockdown. Kasumi runs to the side for a sweep but the clone does backflip to avoid it. She then takes out her own sword and attempts to slash it a couple of times but the clone dodges the attack until it gets a cut across the chest. It eventually catches the blade, much to Kasumi's shock. A punch from the clone sends Kasumi down. Angered by this, Jin attempts to land a combination of punches and kicks but every shot is blocked and a palm strike to the chest sends Jin backwards.

The clone's eyes begin to glow. It then lets out a red laser beam that everyone avoids. The beam suddenly clashes and is stuffed by Hayabusa's own energy attack.

As everybody turn around to look, they not only noticed Hayabusa but the person standing beside him.

"Kazuki?" said Kasumi.

"So, you found him?" asked Lars.

Hayabusa nods and says "I infiltrated the facility while you were all battling them. Kazuki was still unconscious but was unharmed. However, I'm certain that it was the negative energy that eventually woke him up." Hayabusa looks at Kazuki to see what he wanted to say but notices the horrified look on his face. "Kazuki?"

Kazuki stares at the clone that looks so much like himself and in this dark, demonic form that he has never seen before.

"No! That's…a clone of me?" asked Kazuki.

Hayabusa realizes that this is the first time Kazuki has witnessed the form.

"Kazuki, what you're witnessing right now could very well be you one day," said Hayabusa. "You could become a devil…just like what you see right now. That is the power of the Devil Gene…and you possess it in your blood."

Kazuki begins to look at his hands, still disbelief he possesses such a dark power.

"Make no mistake, Kazuki!" said Hayate. "This may be a clone but it's still not you. You still don't have to be like this. It's all Donovan who is behind the scenes."

"NO!" yelled the clone. "HOW DARE YOU PICK THAT CLONE OVER ME! I'M THE REAL KAZUKI!"

The clone's eyes begin to glow red, indicating that he's about to shoot another laser attack, directly at Kazuki. Hayate and Ayane takes this opportunity sprout their next attack, as Ayane teleports behind the clone and stabs it in the back, while Hayate dashes forward with a swift slash across the body. While seemingly frozen in one spot, the clone's wings and horns begin to retract before it slowly falls to the ground. Green lights start emitting from it before it finally bursts.

Kazuki looks at everyone and wants to say something but is at a loss for words after what he just witnessed. New discoveries about himself just keeps coming up and each one is shocking.

Kasumi walks up to Kazuki and says "Do not be worried, Kazuki. You will understand. Everything will be explained to you when this is all over."

"Please," said Kazuki. "I want to know everything from the beginning. I feel that there is still a lot of unanswered questions. In order for them to be answered, I have to know what led to my birth, who I was born to, what I was born with…everything. No more secrets."

Jin looks at Kazuki, thinking that he may be the best one to tell him. For years, he was against Kazuki knowing the truth about his bloodline but now feels that he has a responsibility to tell him.

"You'll never know the truth because you and everyone else will be dead!" said a voice that's all too familiar to the ninjas.

Everyone turns to look at a platform rises to the stage to reveal an old enemy Raidou.

"Raidou?" said a horrified Ayane.

"He's…still alive?" said Hayate.

"What's the matter? You look as if you've seen a ghost," said Raidou as he laughs.

"Raidou…!" said Kasumi as she gets in her fighting stance.

"Looks like we meet again. Now it's time to show you just how much I have changed since we last met. Kazuki was the first to witness this but unfortunately, Donovan wanted him alive. That will not happen again!"

"No way!," said Ayane. "I'll make sure you die for good this time, you demon!"

"'Demon'?" said Raidou. "Is that anyway to talk to your father?"

"You are not my father!" yells an angry Ayane as she rushes forward with a with a few punches and kicks. However, each are blocked by Raidou, who counters with a powerful palm strike to the body, sending her Ayane backwards into the crowd.

Hayate dashes forward with punches and kicks of his own but with rapid speed, Raidou lands a combination of punches to Hayate's head that knocks him backwards as well.

Kasumi rushes forward to land a teleport kick but Raidou catches her leg and lands a power punch to the body, also sending her backwards.

Angered, Jin rushes forward to land a combination of punches and kicks but each are all blocked by Raidou, who lands a vicious uppercut to Jin's chin, knocking him down.

Ayane quickly runs, attempting to land more attacks but is hit with a strong kick that knocks her down.

Enraged, Hayate rushes forward with his sword, attempting to slash at him but the blade of the sword breaks upon impact on Raidou's cybernetic arm. Raidou uses the arm to land a powerful uppercut to Hayate's chest, sending flying across the platform.

Kasumi, now enraged herself, runs towards Raidou. Anticipating a running attack, Raidou throws a straight punch but gets caught by surprise as Kasumi jumps over and lands a kick that knocks him down. Raidou gets up and out of anger, tries to land another punch but gets stopped by Jin, who catches his arm and slams him down. Jin then lands a punch on a down Raidou. Raidou quickly rises up and clashes fists with Jin, who begins to think that he may be even stronger than Kazuya and Heihachi. He is then hit by a hard punch to the face that stuns him. Raidou then follows up with another punch to the stomach, followed by a kick to the face that knocks him down.

As Jin stands up, Raidou powers up his arm and attempts to land a powerful palm strike. However, Kasumi steps between them and gets hit by the strike instead. The force of the attack causes her to collapse into Jin's arms.

"Kasumi!" said Jin.

Hayabusa appears ready in join the fight until he notices Kazuki. Angry as he looks at the barely conscious Kasumi, Kazuki's hands start to shake uncontrollably.

"Kazuki, you must stay focused," said Hayabusa.

Meanwhile, Ayane once again tries to attack Raidou with furious intent. She tries to land a teleporting kick but he simply catches her leg and slams her to the ground. The impact of the slam leaves her barely conscious. As Hayate holds Ayane his arms, he sees her eyes slowly closing. He then picks her up and sits her next to Kasumi.

"Kazuki, you watch her," said Hayate. Kazuki nods and obeys his master.

Jin, Hayate, and Lars all attempt to take on Raidou but their attempts are in vain as each fighter fall to Raidou's strength and skills.

As his opponents appear defeated, Raidou laughs and says "You are all pathetic! It's shame how weak you all are compared to me. Now, it's time to finally end this battle…and the Mugen Tenshin Clan itself!"

Kazuki looks at his slowly recovering mother and barely conscious aunt. He then looks as all of his family and allies fall defeated by Raidou. Finally, not able to take it anymore, Kazuki walks forward, he eyes glow red, black marks form on his forehead.

"Kazuki…don't…" yells Kasumi, as she looks at her son in horror.

"Kazuki!" yells Hayabusa. "Don't allow yourself to be consume such darkness!"

However, Kazuki continues to walk forward. Jin, Lars, and Hayate all look stunned at Kazuki's form. However, Raidou looks with a smirk on his face, as he's eager for another fight.

"Come on!" said Raidou. "Show me that you're not weak like the others…even if you are still going to die. You should feel honored to die by the hands of a true ninja warrior!"

An enraged Kazuki responds by spreading his wings and immediately flies with a powerful punch that sends Raidou flying off the platform and against a wall. Kazuki then flies forward with a punch to the stomach, followed by an uppercut that knocks Raidou upwards. Kazuki then flies to the air, grabs Raidou's leg, and then slams him back down on the platform. With Raidou on the ground, Kazuki starts rapidly punching Raidou for ten seconds before backing off the now unconscious Raidou.

He then looks at his hands again, which now looks demonic. He can't believe what he's truly capable of.

But as he, as well as everyone else, look at him in shock, a dark red aura begins to form around Raidou, as he slowly stands up.

"You do well, Mugen Tenshin Ninja," said Raidou. "You surprised me with that kind of power…but as you can see, you're not only one who is full of surprises!"

Everyone look at Raidou in shock, as this unexpected new form is something they've never seen before. Only Kasumi and Hayabusa are familiar with it.

"No way!" said Ayane. "You really are a demon."

"That has to be one of Donovan's experiments." said Hayate. "This is something we've never seen him do before."

Raidou looks at Kazuki and says "Now…lets pick up where we left!" With quick speed, Raidou dashes forward with a powerful punch to the face that knocks Kazuki backwards but not down. Angry, Kazuki dashes forward to return to the punch that lands. Raidou is pushed back a few steps but simply laughs and lands another punch. Kazuki does the same thing back and the two exchanges punches and kicks, with no regards for defense.

Everyone look at the back-and-forth exchanges in a battle that appears to be dead even.

"Kazuki may be in his devil form but he still hasn't lost focus," said Hayabusa. "That is the only way he can reach his full potential. For years, it was difficult for him to realize that but it seems like he's finally learning."

After a long exchange, the two warriors separate, both appear to be exhausted.

"Damn!" said Raidou. "You're not like the other ninjas. I see you're very different!" Raidou smiles and says "But there is one thing I am certain of and it's that you haven't been taught the Torn Sky Blast Technique!"

Kasumi, Ayane, and Hayate all look at Raidou as his right hand starts to glow a dark red light.

"Oh no!" said Kasumi as she stands up. "Not that attack!"

"You wouldn't dare!" yell Hayate.

"Behold…the Torn Sky Blaaast!" says Raidou. He then blasts a red energy attack directly at Kazuki and the group.

Kazuki shoots his devil laser beam to stop the blast and the two attacks collide. The power struggle appears to be even until Raidou's blast start taking over. Thinking quickly, Kasumi throws a shuriken at Raidou's knee. With Raidou distracted, Kazuki's uses his beam to overpower Raidou's blast, sending him flying away from the platform, crashing to the wall. He then falls down shortly afterwards.

Raidou is defeated once again.

Exhausted from the fight, Kazuki, now back to normal, falls to his knees.

"I…I did it!" said Kazuki.

"It's finally over!" said Kasumi.

Jin, and Hayate all run up to him to help him up and carry him on each side.

"Come on. Let's go!" said Jin.

"Yes, we have to get out of this place," said Hayate.

As they are about to walk out of the facility that leads back to the outside, however, they hear Raidou, who is now badly damaged, following them to the exit.

"I'm not done with you yet!" he yelled. "I'm not done with any of you! This fight is not over!"

Lars, standing next to Alisa, yells "Guys, come on! Get out of this area fast! We'll take care of him!" As the fighters run out of the facility, Lars quickly takes off Alisa's head, and throws it at Raidou, who catches. However, Raidou doesn't realize that what he caught is actually a Spam Bomb and before he can reach, the bomb explodes in his hands, with the impact blowing him away. The explosion damages the area he's in and as he gets up, notices that the facility is about to explode.

"What? Damn it!" said Raidou.

Soon afterwards, a huge explosion engulfs MIST's place as the warriors escape in both Irene Lew and Lee Chaolan's helicopters. Kasumi, Ayane, Hayate, and Kazuki in Irene's helicopter while Hayabusa, Jin, Lars, and Alisa are in Lee's.

It seems that Donovan's plans are foiled.

As they fly off, Kasumi looks down at the ruined facility and says "It's really over now."

Ayane also looks down and says "Raidou is finally destroyed."

To Be Continued.


	16. Returning Home

**Returning Home**

With MIST seemingly destroyed once again, the warriors return to their locations but first plan to stop by Helena's yacht to tell her the good news the next day. Although all of them are not certain that Donovan was destroyed in the explosion, they believe that his plans are foiled and grateful to finally help Kazuki escape.

On the flight to the yacht, Kazuki, now his new light blue shirt just like the one that was destroyed, looks out the window and thinks deeply about the events that just happened and the new discovery of the Devil Gene that he has. He realizes just how different people can be even if they are part of the same bloodline. Raidou comes from the same bloodline as his mother and yet, he was no different from Kazuya and Heihachi. Despite this, he knows that Kasumi not like Raidou and therefore, he has no shame of being part of their bloodline. In fact, it just makes him believe even more that Jin is different from the people in his bloodline as well, just like he was told.

This leads to him thinking about what Heihachi told him before their fight in the tournament.

 _For us Mishimas, the war between father and son is a never-ending battle. The things that drive Jin and Kazuya to not only oppose me but each other…is what makes them who they are. Hatred…hatred that makes them devils._ _Tell me something, boy; just how much do you hate your father?_

Although he knows for sure that Heihachi is wrong, he also knows that his words have a much deeper meaning that they sounded. The "hatred that makes them devils" was, in fact, the Devil Gene he was talking about at that point.

Kazuki finally breaks the silence.

"What happened?" he asks as he looks at Hayate and Ayane. "What happened when you found out that I had the Devil Gene?"

"Kazuki?" said Kasumi.

"Don't worry, I am not angry. There is no reason to be angry. I just want to know what happened when it was discovered that I had that power. I'm certain that you wouldn't have told them about it…but if that's the case, then how were they able to find out?"

Kasumi looks at Hayate and Ayane for an answer. Ayane looks to the side, as if she's too ashamed to speak on it while Hayate looks to talk to Kazuki.

"We found out about the Devil Gene just weeks after she brought you to the village. There was this demonic creature who showed up at our village one night. He looked transparent but was still physically a devil. He attacked our clan, searching for something…for someone. I'll never forget that terrified look our mother had when she was holding you, trying to protect you. That's when Ayane and I fought against it and manage to defeat it. It fled and the village was safe but there was one thing that puzzled us both; why did it only come after you? You were just an infant child and had only been there for just a few weeks. Days later, we set out to look for your mother in hopes that we would find some answers. We didn't find her…but we did find Ryu."

* * *

 **19 years ago**

Days after the attack on the village, Hayate and Ayane searches Kasumi to know about the reasons by the attack. They believe she knows the reason why but has never mentioned this when she brought Kazuki the village the last time they saw her. During their search, they run into Ryu Hayabusa in a bright sunny day in the woods and explain everything to him about the attack on the village.

"I see," said Hayabusa. "There's only one possible reason for why it would come to the village…and that's because of the Devil Gene that that child carries in his blood."

"The 'Devil Gene'?" asked Hayate.

"What is the 'Devil Gene'? asked Ayane.

"It is a dark power that can transform a person into a devil. There's only one bloodline that I know that carries the Devil Gene…and that's the Mishima bloodline."

"What?" said Hayate. "The Mishima bloodline? But then that means…"

"Yes," said Hayabusa. "The Devil Gene that Kasumi's child carries is inherited from his father, Jin Kazama."

There is a long pause. Jin Kazama is thought to be dead by many people and the Mugen Tenshin Clan despise the Mishimas for their violent nature. The fact that Kasumi would bear a child of the Mishima is nearly unbearable to comprehend. What's worse, the child is born with a demonic ability that has already put the village in danger.

"Then he should be exiled!" said Ayane.

"Ayane?" said Hayate.

"He's a cursed child. He can't stay with us, Master Hayate."

"Ayane, you must remember our promise to Kasumi. We must keep him safe. Our village is the only way he'll make it."

"Did you hear what Master Ryu just said? That child is a danger to our village. He is a devil and Kasumi know that. It was because of him that our village was attacked. What if it happens again?"

"Listen, we just have to stick to our word and keep protecting Kazuki like we promised her. I will not go back on my word, no matter what."

Ayane looks disappointed at Hayate for still wanting to protect what she perceived is a threat to the village and clan.

"When I was seen as a cursed child, our village didn't want to accept me, all because of my birth. Now Kasumi bares the child of a devil…and we're supposed to just forget about it? Why, Hayate? It's because he's Kasumi's son, isn't it? Just say it!"

"Ayane, that's enough!" said Hayate.

"We should be protecting the village and as long as we keep that child there, it will never be protected," said Ayane. "I'm doing what Kasumi should have done if she really cared about her clan."

"Ayane, are you really going to break your promise to Kasumi? What happened to the village is not her or her son's fault. She knew he would be in danger and she trusted us to protect him. Think about what would happen to him if we sent him away. He could possibly die out there. Would you really be satisfied to send an infant child out there to die after you promised that you would protect it?"

Ayane looks down to think about her decision. She doesn't want the village to be in danger but she also doesn't want to lose Hayate's support either.

"That child will be safe…but our village will not," said Ayane. "It will happen again, Master Hayate. Just watch."

She then leaps away from the area.

* * *

 **Present Day**

"But that devil never showed up again," said Hayate. "The secret about the Devil Gene was safe with us."

"So Ayane was afraid that the Devil Gene would attract danger to our village?" asked Kazuki. "That's reasonable."

"I was also afraid that Jin may have...attacked Kasumi...and maybe that was why you were born," said Ayane. "But she told me the truth after that."

Kazuki looks satisfied in knowing that his family kept such a dark secret away from the village. He knew he would have certainly been sent away if they knew the truth.

"This is why I brought you to our village, Kazuki," said Kasumi. "I wouldn't have been able protect you by myself but I knew that they would."

"By yourself?" asked Kazuki. "What about Jin? Was he still with you?"

"No. Your father…he left shortly after you were born."

Kazuki looks at Kasumi's expression as she looks to the side, as if she doesn't want to talk about it. Therefore, he doesn't ask her why Jin left so he decides to wait to ask Jin himself.

* * *

 **Helena's Yacht**

The fighters all finally arrive at Helena's Yacht. As they jump out of the helicopters, they are approached by Helena herself, with Bruno watching from inside.

"So, you've made it here in one peace," said Helena. "Impressive as usual." She then notices Kazuki and walks up closer to him. "You must be Kazuki. I am Helena Douglas, the owner of DOATEC."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Douglas," said Kazuki as he bows.

"We've come to inform you that we destroyed Donovan's lab," said Hayate. "He won't be any trouble to us for a while."

"Very good," said Helena. "This means I could start the next tournament without any distractions."

"The next tournament?" said Hayate.

"Follow me inside," said Helena. "We'll discuss it even more."

Once inside, Helena explains her plans to announce her next tournament and how defeating MIST gives her the perfect opportunity to do it.

"Now that you have foiled Donovan's plans, I can now proceed with the next Dead or Alive tournament without any problems," she said. "Although we've been working hard to keep it secured, Donovan is all too familiar with how the tournaments are made. I don't think he will easily get past our security now that his own place has been destroyed. Now I'd like to know, are any of you interested in entering our tournament?"

Everyone looks at each other for a moment without giving any answer.

"Kazuki, maybe this is your chance," said Hayabusa.

"Yes, you're right," said Kazuki. He then looks at Helena and says "How different is your tournament compared to Heihachi's?"

"It's very similar, only we don't allow weapons in our tournament. It's just pure hand-to-hand fighting."

"Well, if that's the case…then I think I'll enter," said Kazuki.

"Kazuki?" said Kasumi.

"This is my chance to settle this with Kazuya and Heihachi in my own way," said Kazuki. "When I first competed in the King of Iron Fist tournament, I lost focus when I found out that Jin is my father. In the second tournament, instead of patiently fighting my way to Heihachi, I fell right into his hands and lost to him. Both times, I've suffered the consequences and got a lot of you involved in all of my troubles. But this time, I will not make that same mistake again. I choose this tournament and that's how I'm going to settle it."

"But are you sure you're ready?" asked Hayabusa.

"Yes, I am."

Everyone looks at Kazuki surprised. It's almost like he grew up right in front of them. Hayabusa looks with great confidence in Kazuki's attitude, believing that he's finally learning.

"You want to settle your family war in my tournament?" asked Helena. She then turns around and says "This is very awkward. Heihachi Mishima and my father were rivals. I can only wonder what he would think if he saw Mishimas competing in our tournament. He might even see it as a victory for him." She then turns back around and says "Well Kazuki, I've helped your mother so many times…why shouldn't I help you as well?"

Kazuki smiles in relief.

"Thank you, Ms. Douglas!" he says as he bows.

"Well, things have gotten lot more interesting now," said someone as he walks into the room.

"Bruno…" said Helena.

"So, that's Bruno?" asked Lars.

"This is just what I need before I start back my Savate career," said Bruno.

Hayate and Ayane look at Bruno with an angry stare.

"So, you are going to be entering the tournament as well?" asked Kazuki.

"Of course," said Bruno. "I am not going to sit around any longer."

Helena notices Hayate and Ayane's look. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Lars decides to walk up to Bruno and says "There are a lot dangerous people out there. Are you aware of that?"

"Of course, I am," said Bruno. "Why do you ask that?"

"I just want to remind you that these dangerous people could be anywhere. They could be right up under your nose and you won't even know it."

"That may be true but I'm more than willing to take on anybody out there, no matter who it is."

"You still have no idea what's out there, do you?" asked Lars.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Bruno. "Is there something else you're trying to tell me?"

"I'm not sure if she told you this already but I was the one who saved your mother when Jin attacked DOATEC. I made sure she was safe before she was ready to leave. So, you can trust me on this. I just want you to keep in mind that enemies could be everywhere, trying to get as much information as possible to find certain people. Just be aware of your surroundings from now on."

Bruno just simply walks out of the room, appearing to ignore to Lars. Before leaving, he turns around and says "Don't think you can just give me orders like that. Everyone is well protected here. You just worry about yourself."

"It's such a pity that the younger generation never learns," said Lee.

"He's such a brat!" said Ayane.

"What's happened to Bruno?" asked Kasumi.

"He's angry about his career. Believe me, he's not always like this. He can be very nice person one minute and then the next minute, he can so thoughtless and angry. That's how it's been ever since his career has stopped."

Kazuki begins to wonder about how much problems Bruno has in his own life. Being the son of a well-known person who owns a huge company is something Kazuki could easily relate to.

"Well…if he's going to be entering the tournament, no doubt we might cross paths," said Kazuki. "He then looks at Helena says "Once again, thank you, Ms. Douglas. I'm very grateful."

"Don't mention it," said Helena.

"We must be on our way back now," said Hayate. "The village is waiting for us,"

As they all walk out of the room, Lars turns around to look at Helena and says "If you need to keep an eye on him, just let me know."

Helena proudly smiles and says "I will."

After he leaves, Helena turns around to look at the outside. She then sighs as if to relieve herself of something.

"I hope one day Bruno becomes just like his father," she said.

* * *

 **Mugen Tenshin Village**

Kazuki, Hayate, and Ayane all arrive at the village later that day. Only…it's not what they expect. The village looks as if it had been hit by a storm. The places are badly damaged and it appears that there been a fire.

"What's happened to the village?" asked Kazuki.

"I don't know!" said Hayate. "Everything was just fine when we left. What could have done this?"

"The clan…our mother…we have to check on her fast!" said Ayane.

They run inside where they find an Shiden lying on the floor under a cover, being treated by Ayame. They are relieved to see the three ninja warriors finally arrive.

"Grandfather…" said Kazuki

"Oh Kazuki, you're safe!" said a happy Ayame.

"But what happened here?" asked Hayate.

"It was that man…Heihachi," said Shiden. "He came to this village last night to look for you, Kazuki. When we told him that you were not here, he ordered his soldiers to attack everyone. I tried to stop them but I was too overwhelmed by their force. But we did manage to survive."

"What about you, grandmother?"said Kazuki. "Are you injured?"

Ayame rolls up her left sleeve to reveal her bandaged arm.

"Were you…shot?" asked angry Hayate. Ayame nods.

Ayane runs to look at her mother's arm and looks sad, almost as if to cry.

"That…monster!" said Ayane.

Hayate looks in anger and then takes out his sword.

"Kazuki?" he says as he looks at his nephew.

"Yes!" said Kazuki as he eyes begin to glow red. "This means war!"

To Be Continued.


	17. A War to Prevent

**A War to Prevent**

After defeating MIST, the ninjas and their allies meet with Helena, who grants Kazuki a special invitation to the next Dead or Alive tournament. Upon returning to the Mugen Tenshin Village, however, they discover that their home had been attacked by the Mishima Zaibatsu the previous night, leaving both Shiden and Ayame injured from the attack.

Now, Hayate, Ayane, and Kazuki prepare for war against the Mishima Zaibatsu.

The news worry Kasumi, who is afraid at what this war could possibly cause. She tells Hayabusa about her concerns in the Muramasa's hidden village in the daytime.

"No…I can't let this happen," said Kasumi. "I must stop them from doing this!"

"And just how do you plan on doing that?" asked Hayabusa.

"I will meet with them and convince them not to do this. There's no other way."

"Kasumi, don't be foolish. You're still a runaway shinobi, so you know the danger of meeting with the Mugen Tenshin Clan. Wait until it's safe!"

"I can't just sit here and wait like this. Every second counts. I will not let my family go down such a dark path, especially Kazuki. If we don't do anything about it, then more people will suffer!"

She then leaps away from the village as Hayabusa watches her. He doesn't follow her, however. In fact, he expected her to leave, as he knows Kasumi all too well. So instead of following her, he takes out his handheld transceiver.

"Irene?" he said. "Kasumi's left the village. Make sure you make it back in time so that she will not be by herself."

"Got it," said Irene.

* * *

 **Azuchi**

Standing in the Azuchi courtyard, Hayate, Ayane, and Kazuki talk about their planned attack on the Mishima Zaibatsu a little while later that day. Kazuki stares off and pictures Heihachi's face, which just fuels his hatred for him even more.

"Kazuki, are you sure you're ready for this?" asked Hayate. "This will be the first time you've ever been in a battle like this. It will not be anything like a tournament."

"Yes, I know that," said Kazuki. "I will show Heihachi no mercy. I have no reason to hold back. He has to pay for this."

"Then whatever you do, don't have any second thoughts," said Ayane. "If you're not sure about this, then just let us handle this. This is a kill or be killed situation."

Kazuki turns to them and says "I've been close to death before. I have no fears of doing this and I will not have any regrets after I do it."

At that point, Kasumi appears before the three fighters during their talk.

"Mother…" said Kazuki.

Hayate taps Kazuki's shoulder, shakes his head, and looks away as if to pretend Kasumi is not there. Kazuki gets the point and tries to look away as well but finds it much more difficult to ignore to his mother.

"Please don't do this," said Kasumi. "Helena has already given us a chance to defeat Heihachi. Don't go to war against him. Let's wait for the tournament!"

The ninjas, however, refuse to say anything to her. Hayate and Ayane stares away from her while Kazuki looks at her as if to say something but doesn't do it.

"Kazuki, listen to me. You've already given your word to Helena that you'll settle this in the Dead or Alive tournament. Please, let her help you!"

No longer able to remain silent, Kazuki finally decides to respond.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to forgo the tournament," said Kazuki. "Heihachi deserves to die for what he did. The Mishimas have attacked us enough and now it's time for us to strike back."

"But this is not the right way to do this. If you go through with this war, it could bring more suffering not only to yourself but to other people as well."

"That man attacked your mother and father!" said Ayane. "How dare you say we shouldn't retaliate? Are you really against your own clan now?"

Hayate remains silent, keeping his mind set on revenge and trying not to change his mind.

"I will not let my family be like those Mishimas, especially when one of them is my son," said Kasumi.

"I'm doing what should have been done a long time ago," said Kazuki. "No matter how I have to do it, I'll make sure Heihachi is dead. Doing that will not make me anything like the Mishimas."

"The direction you're going certainly will," said a male voice from behind Kasumi.

They all look behind her to see that it was Jin.

"Jin?" said Kasumi.

"What are you doing here?" asked Ayane.

"Irene told me about your crusade against the Mishima Zaibatsu…and I must say, this is one hassle we don't need," said Jin.

"What?" said Kazuki.

Hayate, having heard enough, finally breaks his silence.

"Don't meddle in our business, Jin," he said. "This is our battle now and you have no involvement in this. Just stay out of it."

"I'm not going anywhere," said Jin. "This is something can't let happen if I can help it."

"How can you try to prevent our war when you started one a long time ago yourself?" said Kazuki. "I don't know what your intentions were but for us, it is to take down the Mishima Zaibatsu. Why are you against that?"

"I know I've made some mistakes in the past…but if there's one thing I don't want is for you to repeat them," said Jin. "This tournament is the best opportunity you have, Kazuki. Do not pass it up."

"This is not just Kazuki's battle," said Ayane. "This is our battle as well. You are in no position to give us orders."

"Just leave it to us, Jin," said Kazuki. "No matter what, I am not changing my mind. You cannot stop our justified cause. If we have to go through you to get to Heihachi, then I guess that's what we'll have to do."

Jin looks down for a moment to think about something. He knows that no matter what he says, they will not listen to him. He's still not really surprise considering what he did a long time ago. But if his words will not get to them, then that leaves only one other option left.

"I knew it would come to this someday," said Jin as he pops his knuckles.

"Jin?" said Kasumi.

"Kasumi, I told you that this was going to happen. Though I never thought that this would be the reason why, it was still bound to happen eventually. Father against son. That's the curse of the Mishima bloodline."

"Jin, no! I know that you don't want to do this. Please, don't!"

"Stand back, Kasumi. No matter what, you can't change our fate…and I can't run from it."

Hayate and Ayane walks forward but they're blocked by Kazuki, who walks forward himself.

"This is my fight," Kazuki says to Hayate and Ayane as he gets into his fighting stance.

Kasumi is at a loss for words. She's in disbelief at what she's about to see.

Without warning, Jin rushes forward with a fist that Kazuki avoids. Kazuki attempts to counter with a punch of his own but it's blocked by Jin. Jin tries to land a punching combination but Kazuki avoids all of the hits. Kazuki tries to land a spinning kick but Jin ducks under it. Jin responds with a kick of his own but Kazuki quickly blocks it. Finally, they both connect with a punch at the same time that knocks each other back. Kazuki quickly runs forward to land a kick but Jin blocks it. He then responds with a kick of his own but Kazuki blocks it, just as he did.

As Kasumi watches, the only thing she thinks about is why. Why is this happening? Why is the one thing she fears the most is still happening?

Hayate and Ayane show no joy in watching either. Despite Jin standing in their way of destroying the Mishima Zaibatsu, they know that he's not their enemy and yet, Kazuki is still fighting him.

As the fight continues, Jin and Kazuki starts landing punches and kicks on each other in what is turning out to be an even fight. Kazuki then uses his arms to push himself high into the air and to come down with a hard kick. Jin jumps into the air with a kick of his own and both land on each other's face, causing them both to fall to the ground.

They both slowly stand up and look at each other as if they're ready to continue. Although breathing heavily, their eyes stay locked onto each other.

Kasumi, finally decided that she's seen enough, steps between the two.

"That's enough!" she said. "This fight is pointless. I can see it both of your eyes that this not a battle that either of you want." She turns to Jin. "Jin, you say this will happen as long as the Mishima bloodline continues and yet, I don't sense even a shred of hatred in you to do this. Do not pretend that you can't be different from Kazuya and Heihachi because you are." She then turns to Kazuki. "And Kazuki, you said you've learned a lot from your battle but going to war will be the opposite of everything you've learned. You've made the decision to settle things in the Dead or Alive tournament. Stay with it!"

Jin and Kazuki look at each other as if to ignore Kasumi…but they don't resume their fight. Instead, Jin smiles a little and stands up straight. Kazuki looks a little confused.

The truth is, Kasumi's words struck both of them.

"Your mother's words were always meaningful to me," said Jin. "She's one person who I'll always listen to…and you should as well, Kazuki. Believe me, I know what it's like to be taught by a loving mother. Make sure you always listen to her."

Realizing that the fight really is over, Kazuki calmly stands straight.

"Yes, I'll always do that," said Kazuki. "She's been there for me ever since I was born and I've had nothing but happy times with her. I can't let anything stand between us, even if it's our clan's tradition. Our bloodline is stronger than any shinobi code."

"Do you two have any idea what she was thinking when she watched that?" said Ryu Hayabusa, was sitting on the Azuchi building.

"Ryu?" said Hayate.

"Kasumi's love and care is the key to putting an end to this curse. You said it yourself, Kazuki; she was the one told you not to hate your father. You listened to those words ever since because you believed her. Even now, you have no hatred towards Jin, even when you two fought."

"That's right," said Kazuki.

"The path of a shinobi is a harsh one. I've always told you that. Now you've experienced it…and learned from it as well. Do not forget what you've learned."

Kazuki nods.

Hayate and Ayane proudly look at Kasumi, Jin, and Kazuki. They're happy that it's all over.

"Alright, I'll settle things with Heihachi in the tournament," said Kazuki. "In the meantime, I'll keep my village safe from anymore danger."

"Then lets head back," said Hayate. "We don't want anybody giving off the impression that our village is vulnerable."

"That's right," said Ayane. "Whether it's Heihachi, Kazuya, or Donovan, we cannot let them attack us again."

Hayate, Ayane, and Kazuki starts leaving the area to head back the village. However, Kazuki stops for a moment. There is something in his mind that hasn't been settled yet and now he finally wants to say something about it.

"Wait a second," said Kazuki. "There's still so many unanswered questions. I can't leave yet. This is my chance to know everything I need to know." He then turns to Jin. "Jin, what happened? Why did you start that war? And why did you disappear from the world?"

Jin closes his eyes for a moment, as if he knew this would get brought up. It was something he had been intending to explain to Kazuki for a long time.

"Alright, Kazuki," said Jin. "I'll tell you everything."

To Be Continued.


	18. A Tale of the Past

**A Tale of the Past**

The Mugen Tenshin Clan had originally planned an all-out war on the Mishima Zaibatsu but eventually agreed with Kasumi and Jin that it's much better to settle this the way Kazuki intended this to be; in the Dead or Alive tournament. Knowing the chaos that a war with the Mishima Zaibatsu would bring, the Dead or Alive tournament is a much better way to get their revenge against Heihachi, with Kazuki being the fighter to represent his family and clan.

But there's one other thing that Kazuki must know and that's about Jin and his reasons for starting the war years ago.

Jin and Kazuki stand outside of the Azuchi Castle, all to themselves. Jin himself felt it was time to tell Kazuki everything, something he had intended to for since their battle against MIST.

"I've been very curious," said Kazuki. "My mother told me that you had your reasons for starting that war on the world. Not only that but I met this girl at the tournament. She told me that her mother knew you. You two were best friends. She even told me that even though you did declare war on the world, her mother never thought that you were evil. There has to be a reason for that. Everyone who was close to you still thought you were a much better person than you appeared."

"I'm almost certain that the girl's mother is Ling Xiaoyu," said Jin. "She really was my friend…but she could never understand what I went through. I couldn't bring her into my life…and I didn't want to do that to Kasumi either."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We'll get to that later. First let's start from the beginning to when I decided to start the war."

* * *

 **20 Years Ago**

 _I wanted to rid this world of the Devil Gene. I felt that I was losing control of it, that it would eventually consume me if I didn't do something about it. So, after the fifth King of Iron Fist Tournament, I took over the Mishima Zaibatsu. I had a plan; if I started a war on the world, then that would bring a lot of negative energy into the world and it would bring out Azazel. Azazel is the creature who is behind the Devil Gene…or so I thought. If the world is full of nothing but chaos, then Azazel will appear to make everyone suffer for it._

 _But for me, I only had one goal; getting rid of the Devil Gene, which means that I had to destroy Azazel. I traveled to Egypt where he was imprisoned. I didn't care if I died. As a matter fact, I was hoping for that. Destroying Azazel and the Devil Gene…and also die while doing it? I was doing the world a favor, something they would never understand. The less Mishimas with the Devil Gene, the less evil this world would have to suffer. I thought maybe I would be the one to end it all. That's what drove me in my battle against Azazel._

 _And yet, all of that was for nothing._

 _When I woke up, I expected to be in the afterlife. Whether it was heaven or hell._

 _But no, I was clearly still on Earth, the very world I didn't want to stay in. I woke up alone in what appeared to be a facility. It took me a little while before I remember that I destroyed Azazel in our battle. I just wasn't expecting to live through it._

 _Then I looked at my left arm…and that's when I saw that the Devil Gene mark was still there. My plan was a complete failure. Azazel was destroyed, but I was still alive and the Devil Gene remained._

 _Once it finally sunk in, my rage boiled over. I turned into a devil and flew out of the facility. He who fights monsters should look to it himself that he does not become one, right? Well, at that moment, I realize that I had become a monster, the very thing that I was hunting down. I became Azazel, wanting to make my own self pay for my sins, hoping someone would destroy me the same way. I had to pay for my actions._

 _I went into a rage. There was no telling what kind of damage I had done. At that moment, I just wanted to die as the monster I had become. I was just waiting for my end to come._

 _Then…that's when I met her._

In the Muramasa village, sitting on the tree trunk is Kasumi, who looks up at the bright sunny sky. She reminisces her time in the Mugen Tenshin Village while also thinking about her freedom since she left it. But no matter what, she will make sure that Donovan will not harm her family again.

Suddenly, she then hears a sound on the ground some feet away from the tree. She sees a man staggering through the forest on unsteady legs. She jumps to the ground to see who this person is.

She recognizes the person as Jin Kazama.

"You're…" she said. Jin can barely see Kasumi with his blurry vision but immediately passes out. Kasumi runs up to him and holds his head. "Muramasa!" she yells.

The next day, Jin awakes inside of a house in the village. As he looks around his bed, he sees Kasumi in her blue kimono and an elderly man Muramasa at his side.

"Where…where am I?" he says as he sits up. "What is this place?"

"This is Muramasa's village," said Kasumi. "Easy. You've been unconscious since yesterday."

"How did I get here? What happened?"

"You lost consciousness in the woods but I saw you just in time."

"Yes, there's no telling what would have happened if nobody found you," said Muramasa. "Kasumi saved your life."

However, Jin finds no joy in being saved by anybody.

"It probably would have been better off if nobody saved me at all," said Jin. "I should be dead right now."

"But why?" asked Kasumi.

"After what I've done, the only punishment I deserve is death. Had you known about what I did, you'd be thinking the same thing."

Kasumi and Muramasa look at each other for a moment.

"It's because of that war, isn't it?" asked Kasumi.

Jin looks at Kasumi with a surprised look.

"So, you do know about it?" he asked.

"You're Jin Kazama, the leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu," said Kasumi. "Please, tell us why you started a war on the world?"

Jin lifts his left arm to show the Devil Gene mark and says "I was trying to free myself…and the world from this." Muramasa walks up to get a closer look at the mark.

"I see," he said. "The mark of the Devil Gene."

"The 'Devil Gene'?" asked Kasumi. "Do you know about this, Muramasa?"

"Yes. Only those of the Hachijo Clan possesses the powers of the Devil Gene. Are you part of this clan, Jin?"

Jin pauses for a moment before saying "Maybe. All I know is that this is not a power that I wish to have. I was trying destroy it in any way I could. I thought that defeating Azazel would put an end to the Devil Gene. I was wrong. Everyone suffered for nothing."

"That's right," said Muramasa. "Azazel is drawn to the negative energies of this world. So, you started this war to draw him out."

"Yes," said Jin. "That was my only reason for starting the war. It was a foolish move after all." He angrily makes a fist.

"Then what will you do now?" asked Kasumi.

Jin just looks away. Harboring both guilt and anger over his failure, he just simply wants to shut himself away from reality.

"I can only let destiny decide that…but I do know that I have to pay for my actions." he said. "I'd rather have that sooner than later."

"Well, you will have to decide that for yourself, boy," said Muramasa. He then turns to Kasumi and says "Come on, Kasumi. I'm sure he would like to be alone for now."

"Yes," said Kasumi.

While Muramasa walks to another room, Kasumi precedes to walk outside.

"Wait," said Jin, in which Kasumi stops at the door. "Kasumi, isn't it? You know who I am and what I did. So…why did you still help me? Don't you…hate me for what I did? Don't you think I should be punished for it?"

"I did," said Kasumi. "I wanted you to be stopped, just like everybody else. But when they kept showing you fighting Azazel…not everybody believed it. Some people thought that it was all a trick…but I wanted to know the truth. A dear friend of mine recognized Azazel and he told me more about him. If you were fighting something like that…then there has to be a reason for it. That's what I wanted to know."

 _I didn't want to think about the possibility of happiness, because there was nothing to be happy about. I was denying my feelings, suppressing them as much as I could. I'm a monster. Why should I feel that way? But in the end, my feelings got the best of me. I was starting to feel the same way I felt when I lived with my mother. No hatred, no troubles, no worries. The longer I stayed in the village, the happier I felt. Kasumi saved me from the monster I had become and made me human again. I was finally able to put aside my guilt and hatred and learn to live a happy life again._

 _Then a year later, that day happened._

While Jin is sitting on a rock, Kasumi approaches him with a happy expression on her face.

"Jin, feel this!" she says as she takes Jin's hand and places it on her stomach…and Jin could feel it. A fetal heartbeat.

"Kasumi, you're…" he says,

"Yes!" she said. "Muramasa told me. It's true. Oh Jin, I'm so happy!"

Jin looks at the happy expression on Kasumi's face. Her smile usually brightens his day but this time, it was different. Jin cannot feel that same happiness she feels.

"No…what have I done?" said Jin.

"Jin? What's wrong?"

"This is all a mistake. This shouldn't have happened."

"What do you mean?"

Jin turns around and looks down at the ground as he says "If another Mishima is born, then that means that the bloodline…and the Devil Gene…will continue on. I didn't want that! I don't want the world to suffer again!"

"Jin, everything will be fine," said Kasumi.

"You just don't understand, Kasumi," said Jin. "Nothing will ever be fine as long as the Devil Gene is still around. This is why you shouldn't have saved me. The world would have been better off if I just died right there!"

Jin walks away as Kasumi looks in confusion. She doesn't know what else to say.

 _I sat down near the river. I could do nothing but think about what will happen in the future. The truth is, I didn't want children. I didn't want the Mishima bloodline to continue, especially when I still have the Devil Gene. I was willing to die before that happens. But now…Kasumi was pregnant with you. The situation was completely out of my hands. It didn't matter to me if she was happy. It didn't matter to me that she thought everything would be okay. What mattered to me was the danger that the world was going to be in…and once again, I'm responsible for that. I thought to myself for some minutes. Maybe thirty minutes._

"Jin!" yells Muramasa as he comes running. "Something's happened to Kasumi! She's unconscious!"

"What…!" Jin, followed by Muramasa, immediately starts running to Muramasa's house where he sees an unconscious Kasumi lying in bed.

"What happened to her?!" asked Jin.

"I don't know," said Muramasa. "She was lying on the ground when I found her. I brought her inside but she was already passed out. Oh, I hope that she and the baby will be okay!"

"Kasumi…and our child…" said Jin with a shaky voice.

 _I couldn't help but feel responsible once again. I left Kasumi by herself. I didn't know what happened, only that I could have prevented it if I hadn't walked off like that. But I'm glad she was still alive…and that she didn't lose you._

 _The next day, I sat next to her. Muramasa and I both saw her as she finally opened her eyes._

Kasumi slowly opens her eyes and looks to her right to see Jin and Muramasa next to her.

"Jin…Muramasa…" she said in a quiet voice.

"Kasumi, take it easy," said Jin. "You're still just recovering."

"How long have I been unconscious?" asked Kasumi.

"Since yesterday," said Jin.

Kasumi looks down at her stomach and touches it.

"I…still have the baby?" asked Kasumi.

"Yes," said Muramasa. "Your child survived. Everything will be just fine, Kasumi."

Kasumi's eyes begin to light up with happiness upon realizing that her child is still alive, as if she were to make a quick recovery.

"I'm so happy!" said she said. "That monster…I wasn't going to let him take our baby."

Jin and Muramasa look at each other confusion, as they know nothing about what happened to Kasumi until now.

"What 'monster'?" asked Jin. "What happened, Kasumi?"

"Devil…he was trying to possess our child," she said. "I wasn't going to let him do that. I protected our baby from Devil."

Jin almost cannot believe it. He's already familiar with the power of Devil and yet, Kasumi still managed to defeat it and save their child.

"Kasumi is a strong woman," said Muramasa. "She's willing to risk her life to protect her family, no matter what the consequences will be. It is why your child is still alive."

Despite Jin's relief that Kasumi and their child is okay, this makes him even more aware of the possible dangers involving him and the Devil Gene. It also reinforces his belief of the possible danger that will come after their child is born.

"I knew this would be dangerous," he said. "This is all because of the Devil Gene…and because of me. I'm just too much of a danger to anybody as long as I have the Devil Gene."

"Don't blame yourself, Jin," said Muramasa. "It is not your fault. You didn't bring Devil here."

"But I knew that something would happen and I still just left Kasumi by herself. I shouldn't have done that. As long as the Devil Gene exists, there will always be a great danger to the people that I know." Jin looks at Kasumi and says "Listen Kasumi, I can't put your life at risk like this. I'll stay with you until our child is born but after that, I have to leave this village. I must settle things by myself and in order to make sure you're safe, we have to part ways. I don't want our child to know the Devil Gene or about me."

As Kasumi looks at Jin, her expression changes from happiness to seriousness. There is definitely something unsettling about what Jin said. Nevertheless, she doesn't disagree with what he said.

"You're right," she said. "It is too dangerous. I can't protect our child while I'm being hunted by my clan…and Devil will surely come back. I will have to put him in the care of my family. That's the only way he will be safe."

"But Kasumi, that would mean that you'll be separated from your child," said Muramasa. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I am. If it means that it will be safe from any danger, then it's worth the sacrifice. All I want is for it to be taught and raised the right way and I trust my family to do that."

 _That was painful to hear. She was happy to have you. She was the one who named you Kazuki. I liked it because it sounded very much like her own name. Had it not been for the Devil Gene, she would have never given you up. I know it. I didn't want her to be separated from you because I knew she would have been a great mother. But once again, I felt that it was all because of me that she couldn't keep you with her. Kasumi knew how dangerous it was…why am I gong on like this? She is a great mother because she was willing to let you go. That's the best a mother could do for her child in a situation like that. Our lives as runaways were just too dangerous to keep you with us. Therefore, after we…Ryu, Irene, Muramasa, and I…helped her conceive you, it was when we went our separate ways. A few weeks after you were born, I was set to leave and she was preparing to take you to her village that night. Before I left, I had one final talk with her._

Kasumi and Jin stand outside of Muramasa's house where the baby Kazuki is being watched over by Muramasa.

"The Mishima curse will carry on through Kazuki," said Jin. "He'll no doubt hate me for putting the world in danger. Once he grows up, there is a good chance that we may have to face each other in battle one day, possibly to the death. The only way that can be prevented is if I'm dead before he knows the truth. Therefore, make sure that he doesn't know who his father is while I'm still alive. By then, hopefully Kazuya and Heihachi will be dead by that time as well and he will never have to suffer by their hands or the Devil Gene. Remember that, Kasumi."

 _She never said whether or not she agreed with me. She just looked at me, almost as if she was disappointed about something. I never asked her if she would go along with it or not, I just walked away. I didn't even think I would ever see her again. I just knew it was for the better._

 _I didn't go after Kazuya and Heihachi immediately after that, however. Many people began to think that I was dead and that's how I preferred it. I didn't want anyone else to know that I was alive, not even Ling Xiaoyu. She was a close friend of mine but I don't think she would ever understand. My life would be too dangerous for her, just like it was for Kasumi. I just wondered around and stayed hidden in the shadows. If anyone spotted me, I had ways of escaping. After all, very few people know about the Devil Gene. I was just waiting for everybody to forget about me and I can just fade away in people's memories. But Kazuya and Heihachi remained at wars with each other and my name was constantly mentioned as a result of that. No matter what, people still remembered me for what I did._

 _One day, I decided to go back to my old home in Yakushima where I lived with my mother. Although our house had been destroyed a long time ago, it still felt like home. I can do nothing but reminisce the happy times I had with my mother…I wish you could have met your grandmother Jun. She was a great person. Then that's when something occurred to me; if my mother was still alive, would she want to see me after all I did? I went against everything she taught me and instead of correcting my errors, I'm running away from them. I couldn't do this. I can't spend the rest of my life running away like this. That's when I finally decided that it was time to end this once and for all…and that's by taking down Kazuya and Heihachi. I went to Violet Systems, as they seem to be only one who is openly against both of them. I met with Lars, who saw me as the world's only hope but I couldn't agree with that. I had a falling out with him about that and left Violet Systems. But then I realized that I was being tracked. I was ambushed by the Tekken Force but I defeated them and fought off their attack on Voilet Systems. That's when the world saw me for the first time in twenty years._

 _Then I saw you at the King of Iron Fist Tournament. You were just a baby when I last saw you but I can tell it was you with a glance, all grown up and looking like your mother. But I can also tell that you didn't know that I was your father and that's how I wanted it. Unfortunately, Kazuya, the one person who I didn't want to know, found out when he fought you. My fears of more chaos done by the Mishima clan were growing once again._

* * *

 **Present Day**

"But now, I realize that this is probably for the better," said Jin. "Your experiences with Kazuya and Heihachi, as well as the love you inherited from your mother, allowed us to fight together. How foolish was I to doubt this would ever change?"

"I always knew that it would," said Kasumi, as she along with Hayate and Ayane, walk up to Jin and Kazuki.

"You all were here the whole time?" asked Kazuki.

"Yes," she said. "Although Jin didn't think that the curse could be stopped, I always believed that it could. I knew that the Mugen Tenshin Clan would guide you to the right path and when Hayate allowed me to visit the village once a year, I made sure that you stay on that path."

"Yes, I remember," said Kazuki. "We went site seeing, spent time on top of the mountains, attended many carnivals…you even taught me a few techniques. I love those happy times."

"You could also thank your grandfather for that as well," said Hayate.

"What do you mean?" asked Kazuki.

"He is very dedicated the traditions of the Mugen Tenshin Clan so he was against the idea of allowing a runaway shinobi into the village. I argued with him over it to the point where I nearly considered leaving the village myself. But he soon changed his mind. I don't know why. Maybe it was because of our mother who knows what it's like to be separated from her child…or maybe it was the fear of being separated from the only two that he has."

"So, this was meant to be after all," said Kazuki. "It was fate. Everything happened for a reason and now I've finally realized what it is; to show that there is hope for this world. It doesn't matter if I have Mishima blood or the Devil Gene, that doesn't mean that there can't be any changes. Now that I know the whole truth, I'm satisfied. At first…my goal was to become the next leader of the Mugen Tenshin Clan but now I realize that I have some ways to go first, starting with this. I have to wait until I truly have the responsibilities of being a leader."

"You do that, then," said Jin. "But remember this Kazuki; don't forget about others when you make your decisions. Your family, your clan, the world, even your enemies. All of that counts." As he turns around to leave, he says "Good luck, Kazuki."

He walks away as the ninjas look on.

"Come on," said Ayane. "If we're not going through with our plans, then we must head back to the village."

"Right," said Hayate.

Ryu Hayabusa watches from afar on top of the Azuchi Castle.

"You have an important presence, Kazuki," he said. "Always remember that."

To Be Continued.


	19. The Third Chance

**The Third Chance**

" _What's up, folks?! Alright, listen up. If you want to prove to everybody that you're the greatest fighter in the world, then enter the Dead or Alive tournament. Now remember, this isn't a place for senior citizens who think that all they need is just an iron fist. This is a place for real fighters who have an iron body. So, if you really are one of those fighters, then come on to the tourney, or else I'll come to your house and drag you in myself. See ya at the fights!"_

– Zack, the host of the upcoming Dead or Alive tournament.

 **Mishima Zaibatsu**

Many people around the world saw Zack's announcement of the next Dead or Alive tournament on television. The announcement was also seen by Heihachi from the headquarters of the Mishima Zaibatsu and is not happy with the implication.

"Senior citizens? Iron fist? Is that a challenge to me?!" he angrily says as he looks at the screen.

"What's wrong, sir?" asked one of the Tekken Force soldiers.

However, Heihachi sits down in his chair and, unexpectedly, begins to smile.

"Fame Douglas's daughter," he said. "She had this clown to announce the next Dead or Alive tournament and insult me like this. Following in your father's footsteps, aren't you, Helena? Heh! I should have destroyed DOATEC years ago when I had the chance. Now, that won't be such an easy task."

"What does this mean for your plans for Kazuki, sir?" asked the soldier.

"The attack on the village was to guarantee that he would enter my next tournament. This will not change that. However, if I were to win this tournament, that would be a victory for the Mishima Zaibatsu. I never back down from a challenge." Heihachi stands up from his chair and confidently says "Maybe it'd be better to kill two birds with one stone. If Kazuki finds out that I'll be entering the tournament, he'll be entering as well just to get a piece of me…and he'll fall to my fists once again."

 **G Corporation**

Days later, Heihachi publicly announces that he will be entering the Dead or Alive tournament. This news shocks everyone around the world, as this would be the first time that a Mishima would be entering a Dead or Alive tournament.

Just as everyone else did in the world, Kazuya, along with his bodyguard Anna Williams, watches the video of the announcement at G Corporation's headquarters. Unlike Heihachi, Kazuya cares little about the Mishima Zaibatsu's competition with DOATEC but he is familiar with them, as well as the Dead or Alive tournaments.

"I knew the old man would never back down from a challenge like that," said Kazuya about the announcement of the tournament. "If he enters, then so will I. This is just another chance for me to defeat Heihachi."

Suddenly, a thought occurs in Kazuya's head.

"What if DOATEC was under my control? If I were to take over DOATEC, I would be able to get my revenge on the ninjas and Heihachi. They wouldn't stand a chance."

"Taking over both DOATEC and G Corporation?" asked Anna. "Sounds interesting."

"Well, this is a kill or be killed world," said Kazuya. "All that matters to me is having an advantage over my enemies. Heihachi didn't take down DOATEC but he's going to regret that he didn't. Me taking over DOATEC will be a reminder of all the past failures he's made in his life. All in one move." Kazuya then makes a fist and says "But in order to guarantee that, I must also get Jin and Kazuki's powers. Then, nobody will stand in my way."

"This is quite a change to be entering a tournament that will not award you the Mishima Zaibatsu," said Anna. "As a matter of fact, in this tournament, all you will get is the prize money. Trying to take over DOATEC after winning the tournament doesn't seem like a sure-thing."

"That's because not many people have the guts to do what I do. With my Devil Gene powers, I could easily take DOATEC away from Helena by force. If I have to kill her to do that, then so be it. This tournament is merely a way to understand DOATEC and once I win it, DOATEC will be mine."

Kazuya laughs evilly as he left eye starts glowing.

* * *

 **Mugen Tenshin Village**

In preparation for the Dead or Alive tournament, Kazuki undergoes a rigorous training as he climbs mountains with weight balls chained to each of his limbs. As he climbs the mountain, he thinks back to what he was told by his superiors before the training began.

"This is it, Kazuki," said Hayate. "This time, you're not fighting for acceptance or answers about your past. You're fighting for us, your family and clan. It falls on you to make Heihachi and Kazuya pay for what they did to us."

"This is your chance to show us everything you've learned, Kazuki," said Ayane. "If you fail, then everything you learned had been for nothing. Remember your experiences and make them your strength."

"The path of a shinobi is a harsh one," said Hayabusa. "All of us are prepared to follow that path. So, are you prepared, Kazuki?"

As he thinks about these words, he quickly leaps up on the mountains until he reaches the top.

Withstanding powerful blows from Hayate, keeping up with Ayane's constantly changing speed, and heightening his senses with Hayabusa's attacks, Kazuki pushes himself further than ever, with a burning desire to defeat his two main enemies. This battle is on his own terms and he's determine to win it.

As the day approaches for him to leave for the tournament, Kazuki checks on his Shiden and Ayame, who have now fully recovered.

"No matter what, I will never let anyone else harm you ever again," he says to them. "I was unprepared for the battles that I had before and because of that, I take great responsibility for what happened to the both of you. This is my chance to correct the errors of my ways."

"You don't have to blame yourself, Kazuki," said Shiden. "Anybody would have fallen victim to Heihachi's trap and few have survived to tell about it. I'm proud to know that it was a member of our family and clan that survived. For that, I can never be disappointed in you."

"We all learn from our mistakes," said Ayame. "What's important is that we learn not to make them again, grow out of them, and become better. I can already see that in you, Kazuki. Don't you ever think otherwise."

"I promise I won't," said Kazuki. "I've learned a lot and now I have no more questions. From now on, I'll just move forward on the path that lies ahead."

* * *

 **Muramasa Village**

Inside of the house of the hidden Muramasa village, Kasumi kneels in her blue kimono, with a smile on her face, as she thinks happy thoughts.

"Ms. Kasumi?" said the voice of an elderly man. This person goes by the name Muramasa, which was inherited by his father, who looked after Kasumi for years.

"Yes, Muramasa" said Kasumi she turns around, toward the door.

"You have a visitor, my dear," said Muramasa, as Kazuki walks up to the door.

"Kazuki!" said Kasumi as her eyes light up. She stands up and quickly walks up to her son.

"I wanted to see you again before I go to the tournament," said Kazuki. "I want to thank you for everything you've done. Without you, I probably would have gone a much darker path. I'm very grateful that you kept me from doing that."

"You are my son and I wanted nothing more than to make sure that you were on the right path," said Kasumi. "If I didn't bring you to the Mugen Tenshin Clan, then I wouldn't be doing my duties as a mother."

Kazuki steps out in front of the house and looks around the village.

"So, this village is where I was born?" he asked.

"Yes," said Kasumi. "This is the village where I stay after I left our home. Jin also stayed here briefly as well." She then looks at Muramasa and says "This man's father has looked after me ever since I came here and now he's doing the same thing. You should be grateful to the Muramasa family. They have been very helpful to us."

Kazuki turns and bows to Muramasa.

"Thank you, sir," he said.

"You don't have to mention it," said Muramasa. "We are all like family here, so we must protect each other. We made sure that your mother was safe from any danger and that you were born a healthy child. Oh, how my father would have loved to see how much you've grown."

"Well, I must say that I'm deeply grateful for what your family has done for my mother and me," said Kazuki. "I hope I get to know more about you and this village."

"Well, whenever you need me, I will always be here," said Muramasa. "Consider this as your home as well."

"Now, let's say we…go for some Strawberry mille-feuille, right mother?" said Kazuki.

Kasumi laughs and says "Sure,"

* * *

 **New York Gym**

In local gym in New York, Bruno Douglas goes through his own training with the mercenary and bodyguard Bayman. With the Dead or Alive tournament approaching, Bruno decides that he should add some more techniques to his style and turns to Bayman as the one who can teach him.

"Remember Bruno, that there will be warriors who fight for different reasons," said Bayman. "Some fight for family, some fight for revenge, and there are even some who fight for power. Those reasons will drive them in their fight, depending on how much they want it. What do you fight for?"

"I'm fighting for my goal, which is to prove that I'm the best," said Bruno.

"How much do you want that?"

"I really want it. It's something I've trained for ever since I became a fighter."

Bayman slowly walks up to Bruno. "Then you better fight like it. If you want it that bad, you better prepare yourself…for the worst."

"'The worst'? asked Bruno.

"In the battlefield, anything can happen and it will not always be in your favor," said Bayman. "What will you do when that happens?"

"No matter what, I will not give up," said Bruno. "I know my matches will not be easy, so I am prepared for when that happens."

"I'm not talking about just the matches," said Bayman. "I'm talking about in general."

"…What?" asked Bruno as he looks confused.

"When you started your fighting career, you didn't know that you would be the target of an assassination, did you? That shows that no matter what, there will always be someone standing in the way of your goal and they don't have to be in the ring to do that. Therefore, when you enter the tournament, always be aware of where your enemies are and when they will strike."

Bayman quickly takes out his knife and, with swift speed, points it at Bruno's throat. Bruno is frozen by the speed of Bayman.

"Always expect the unexpected," said Bayman.

"Yes, sir!" said Bruno. "I…understand."

Standing outside of the gym door, professional wrestler and former MIST scientist Lisa Hamilton, who had just finished working out at the gym, listens in on the training and conversation between Bayman and Bruno.

"Bayman must be trying atone for what he did in the past," she said to herself. "Why else would he take Bruno under his wing despite what he did a long time ago? That has to be the reason for that."

* * *

 **Violet Systems**

Jin, stands outside on the balcony of the Violent Systems headquarters and as he looks at the sky, Lars walks up behind him.

"So, you're not going to be entering the Dead or Alive tournament?" asked Lars. "With Kazuya and Heihachi competing in the tournament, Kazuki will be facing an uphill battle once again. I wouldn't be surprised if those two would pull some kind of trick just get at him."

"It's possible but this time, I know that Kazuki is ready," said Jin. "This is what he wanted; a fight on his own terms. While I would like to take down Kazuya and Heihachi myself, this particular battle is not for me. It's for Kazuki. It's a personal battle that I can't get in the middle of. So, this time, I just simply place all of my confidence on him instead."

"I see," said Lars. "You want him to free himself from questions that surrounds his bloodline and become his own man."

"Yes," said Jin. "At first, he wasn't ready to accept who he is but now that he has, he can finally move on. Now all that's left is where it leads to."

To Be Continued.


	20. Day of the DOA Tournament

**Day of the DOA Tournament**

The day has finally arrived for the Dead or Alive tournament to begin. Numerous fighters include veteran participants Jann Lee, Lei Fang, Mila, Brad Wong, and Eliot along with recent participants such as Christie Monteiro, Feng Wei, Paul Phoenix, and Marshall Law.

All of that fighters gather at Helena's Yacht as she stands before them to make a speech.

"Thank you all for coming today. I am happy to see you all. Without you, the Dead or Alive tournament would not have been as big as it is now. It is time for the best fighters in the world to showcase their abilities once again."

As Helena continues her speech, Kazuki looks around at all of the fighters gathered for the meeting. Some of them are fighters he's mostly heard of while others he's seen for the first time.

One particular fighter does catch his interest; Kazuya Mishima.

"(Kazuya!)", Kazuki thinks to himself. "(So…he's here.)" Their eyes lock on to each other, with a very intense stare. It is almost as if they were in their own world.

"(We finally meet again, Kazuki!)" Kazuya thinks to himself. "(Let's see if you finally accepted the gift that lies in your blood.)"

At that point, a girl with a blond-haired ponytail, white shirt, and blue jeans walks up to Kazuki.

"Hey, aren't you Kazuki?" asked the girl.

"Oh…yeah, that's me," said Kazuki as he turns towards the girl.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Hinata."

"It's nice to meet you too, Hinata."

"So, you're part of the Mugen Tenshin Clan? If so, do you know anybody named Ein?"

"'Ein'? I'm sorry, I don't know anybody by that name."

"Oh, shoot!" said Hinata as she places her hand over her eyes. "How stupid of me! I meant Hayate. That's who I was talking about."

"Oh, well…yeah," said Kazuki. "He's the master of our clan…and he's also my uncle."

"Really? Hayate is your uncle? Wow! So that means that you're…Ayane's son, right?"

"What?" said Kazuki. "No, I'm Kasumi's son and Ayane's nephew."

"Oh…sorry! She always gets those two mixed up."

"'She'? asked Kazuki. "What do you mean by 'she'?"

"My mom," said Hinata. "She doesn't know much about Kasumi and Ayane but she does know a lot about Ein…I mean, Hayate. He used to train in karate at our dojo a long time ago. My grandfather said that he was one of his best students."

"Wait a second! Master Hayate trained in karate? But he never told me that."

"Well, that's what my mom and grandfather told me," said Hinata. "Maybe you should ask him?"

During the conversation, Zhang, the Chinese girl from the King of Iron Fist Tournament, walks up to the two. She looks a little surprised to see Kazuki at the tournament.

"Kazuki?" asked Zhang. "You're here at this tournament as well?"

"Oh! Hi, Zhang" said Kazuki. "I wasn't expecting you either."

Zhang looks at Hinata and asks "So is she your friend, Kazuki?."

"Well, actually we just…" Kazuki says but gets cut off by Hinata.

"Hey, you're Zhang Xiaoyu!" said Hinata with an excited look. "That's right! Your mom owns the biggest theme park in the world!"

"Yes, that's true," said Zhang as she looks at the ground for a moment.

"I love the Xiaoyu Theme Park. I've been going there ever since I was a little girl. Have you been there before, Kazuki?"

"Yes, I have a few times," said Kazuki.

Zhang looks up at Kazuki with a very surprised look. "You have?"

"Yes, I use to go there a few times as well but I didn't know that the owner of the park was your mother."

Zhang blushes with a smile and says "So do you like the park?"

"Yes! I had fun each time I went. I'd like to come again someday."

"Oh right! Just let me when you're ready to come again."

At that moment, everyone turns their attention to Heihachi Mishima as he walks through the door. He looks up at Helena (who by now have finished her speech) and folds his arm, making a smirk on his face.

The atmosphere suddenly changes. Many people are intrigued by Heihachi's appearance.

"Heihachi Mishima," Jann Lee said in a low voice. "Is he really as strong as they say?"

"This guy is really old, isn't he?" said Leifang. "Doesn't he know when to sit down?"

"This guy would have given me the creeps years ago," said Elliot.

"Explain why he doesn't give you the creeps now?" Brad Wong said to Elliot.

"I've grown up since then," said Elliot.

"Only in height," said Brad.

"Oh, man! Why the hell did Helena get me caught up in this mess?" asked Zack to himself. "I don't want anything to do with those people."

Helena calmly stares back at the man who was once a rival to her father.

"Helena Douglas. We meet at last," said Heihachi.

"Indeed," said Helena. "I must say that it is an honor to meet you and to see you compete in the Dead or Alive tournament."

"You shouldn't be surprised," he responded. "Heihachi Mishima never walks away from a challenge. Even your father knew that."

"That may be true but whatever problems my father had with you, they are not mine. We want nothing more than the best performances from our competitors and for the many fans who are watching. We do not want to resume our war with the Mishima Zaibatsu."

"Then just consider my participation as a response to your challenge," said Heihachi. "(And my victory as a final message to your father to show who is truly superior.)" he thought.

Heihachi then looks around at the other fighters. First, he notices Kazuya. Everybody can sense the tension between the two.

"(Hm! Kazuya.)" thought Heihachi. "(He must have a plan in mind. He wouldn't come here just to defeat me.)

"(I knew you'd show up,)" said Kazuya. "(Now it's time to prepare yourself for the biggest failure of your life.)

Heihachi then looks over at Kazuki. The atmosphere is still very intense everybody looks in silence.

"(Kazuki still has a lot of hatred.)" Heihachi thought. "(He really wants to kill me and that will lead him right into my trap once this is all over.)"

Kazuki stare makes it very clear to everyone how he feels about Heihachi.

"(Heihachi, you and Kazuya have caused a lot of problems in my life…but it ends here. I'll make sure of that.)" thought Kazuki.

"That guy really thinks he's something," said Hinata to Kazuki and Zhang. "All of those Mishimas do." She then thinks for a moment as she looks at Kazuki. "Oops! I forgot that Jin is your dad. Sorry about that."

"Where is Jin anyway?" asked Zhang.

"He's not entering this tournament," said Kazuki. "I think he plans on taking care of Kazuya and Heihachi his own way."

"Heh! And just to think, we both almost ended up fighting our dads at the King of Iron Fist Tournament," said Hinata.

"So, your father competes in these tournaments as well?" asked Kazuki.

"Well, yes…but I don't care that much about him. I rarely see him within the 18 years of my life anyway. My mom and grandpa can't stand him now because he's always getting caught up into these stupid street fights."

"That's really bad," said Zhang.

Kazuki thinks to himself how he never even met his father until recently and how he despised him at first.

At that point, Bruno walks up to the three.

"So, you came just like you said," said Bruno. "You know Kazuki, I've always been curious to see how good you really are. After all, you made it pretty far in the King of Iron Fist Tournaments from what I heard."

"If we do ever fight, then just know that I will not hold back," said Kazuki. "I've been training really hard to prepare myself for this moment."

"I understand that. What you fight for is very important so that's why I don't want you to hold back. A good challenge is just what I'm looking for. Of course, I personally plan on taking a shot at Heihachi myself. I cannot let somebody like him win the tournament. That will be a disgrace to my family."

"So, we both are after Heihachi?" said Kazuki. "Well, if you get to him first, be careful. He's very strong for someone his age. I've experienced that myself."

"Wow! It seems like you two get along just fine despite your families' history," said Hinata.

"Interesting!" said Zhang.

* * *

 **Tournament Begins**

The tournament begins later that day. Kazuki and Bruno manages to advance through the tournament pretty well against the well-seasoned veterans. But Kazuya and Heihachi are advancing as well. Zhang and Hinata also manages to make it pretty far in the tournament.

But as the tournament continues to go on, the assassin-turned-bodyguard Bayman encounters a familiar face within one of the locker rooms in the Dead or Alive stadium. This person has been mysteriously lurking all around the competitors and Bayman has decided to confront that person.

"I see you're still working for Donovan," said Bayman. "You'll never change."

"I am an assassin for life," said Christie. "I take no sides. I'm just doing my job. But you…you've gotten soft over the years. You've bonded with Helena and Bruno, haven't you?"

"That is of no concern to you. All you need to know that you will never kill Bruno as long as I am around. You will fail just like last time."

Christy laughs and says "This is quite a change for you. Do you really think you have a right to protect Bruno when you were the one who killed his grandfather?"

"All of that is in the past," said Bayman. "What matters to me now is protecting Ms. Douglas and her son…and making sure that Donovan dies."

"You've been pursuing Donovan for years," said Christie. "You really are…quite a persistent man."

Bayman hears a person's footsteps behind him in the doorway.

"But you can also be too persistent," said Rig.

Bayman turns to look at Rig and then back at Christie.

By this time, the next match in the tournament is about to take place. A match that is somewhat anticipated by many people.

The crowd erupts with excitement as Kazuki and Bruno enter the ring. For them, this win would be the first major step to each of their accomplishments…unaware that another battle is taking place.

To Be Continued.


	21. The Hit and the Target

**The Hit and the Target**

The current match of the tournament is Kazuki vs. Bruno. They both have made it far in the tournament and now their progress has brought them face to face with each other.

As they both enter the DOA ring, they know this fight would bring them one step closer to a possible match against Heihachi Mishima.

"Well, it seems that neither one of has fought Heihachi yet," said Bruno. "So, I guess that means that this fight will determine who truly earns a shot at him."

"I've been training for a long time to make sure he falls by my hands," said Kazuki. "I can't afford to let anything stop me from doing that."

"You better be careful. I am not someone you could just overlook. So, if you underestimate me, then you might be in for a surprise."

"I've been prepared for tournaments like this before. I know not to overlook any opponents, especially if I want to win the tournament."

"Then let's see if you're prepared for this one. Because you have yet to fight someone like me. Come on!"

They both get in their fighting stances.

Kazuki starts off with a combination of punches and kicks. However, Bruno calmly blocks and parries them before darting out of the way. As Kazuki comes forward, Bruno lands a leg kick to Kazuki's knee, which halts his movement for a moment. Bruno then lands a hard punch to Kazuki's face, sending him backwards a little bit. Bruno attempts to follow up with a combination of punches but Kazuki catches his arm and does jumping double kick that knocks Bruno down. After getting up, Bruno throws a punch that gets blocked but quickly lands a kick to Kazuki's liver. The pain momentarily stuns Kazuki, giving Bruno an opening to land a roundhouse kick that knocks Kazuki down. Kazuki is surprised at the speed and precision of his opponent. At that moment, Bruno leaps into the air and comes down with a punch but Kazuki quickly counters with an elbow strike to the stomach, followed by an uppercut to the chin, knocking Bruno down.

Crowd roars in excitement at what appears to be an even match. Among the people in the crowd is Hayate and Ayane, dressed in civilian clothing. They both look in suspense as well as surprised as they watch their nephew hold his own in another tough match.

"He certainly looks like he has improved," said Ayane. "Maybe our training finally pushed him over the edge."

"It's that determination he's got," said Hayate. "He definitely got it from Kasumi. Just as long as he doesn't lose control of himself."

After getting up, Bruno runs forward and catches Kazuki with a scissor takedown. He tries to go for a leglock but Kazuki quickly rolls out of it and back to his feet. Bruno comes forward with more punches and kicks that Kazuki avoids. He eventually dashes behind Bruno with great speed and lands a kick to his back. Now it's Bruno who is surprised at his opponent's skills. They circle around for a moment before exchanging more blows. During the exchange, Bruno lands rapid session of punches to Kazuki's chest but it only pushes a back little. Kazuki counters with a palm strike to the stomach that causes Bruno to back off. The two fighters pause for a moment to catch their breath.

The crowd continues to cheer for the two fighters.

However, off in the distance in the entrance to the arena, Bruno can see a female figure who appears to be preparing to throw something at them.

"Let's see if it runs in the family," said Christie as she raises her arm with a knife in hand. "I should have done this when I first tried to kill him. After all, this is how I killed Maria."

"NOOO!" yells Bayman as he runs to stop Christie with Rig following behind him.

Bruno quickly yells for Kazuki to get down as he runs to tackle him to the ground. Christie throws the knife and stabs Bruno in his right arm.

The crowd look in shock and horror as they see Bruno clutching his bleeding right arm in pain.

"Bruno!" yelled Kazuki. Many people ringside doctors and officers come inside of the ring to check on Bruno while Kazuki looks ahead at the entrance to see who the knife thrower was. Instead, he sees Bayman running down the ring after a grueling battle with Rig and Christie.

As he looks at the ringside doctors around Bruno, Bayman, realizing his failure, looks down and says "I was too late!".

Hayate and Ayane look with great concern on their faces, seeing that Kazuki was almost hit by the knife and would have had it not been for Bruno.

"What does all this mean?" said Ayane.

"I don't know, Ayane," said Hayate. "But I have a feeling that we will find out sooner or later."

A few hours later, Bruno is the hospital getting treated with Helena in the room with him. The stab wound takes him out of the tournament but the injury is not too severe.

"Bruno…" said Helena as her eyes start to tear up. "I am sorry, Bruno. I thought you were going to be safe. I don't know how this happened. This is all my fault."

"Please, don't blame yourself for this," said Bruno. "All that matter is that I am alive. You do not have to feel about this."

"I do. You are my son and it is my responsibility to make sure you were safe. If anything happens to you…! Please understand, Bruno. I lost my mother…your grandmother…the same way. I do not want to lose you too."

"Nothing is going to happen to me! It's going to take more than just a knife to take me out."

"Whoever is targeting you will probably be waiting for you to return. I am going to cancel the tournament and see what I can find."

"Wait!" yelled Bruno. "Don't cancel the tournament! Let it go on!"

"This is more important than the tournament, Bruno," said Helena. "If Donovan is targeting us, we must defend ourselves from his next attack."

"But you were supposed to be helping Kazuki, remember? Do you really want to cancel the tournament after it's gotten this far?"

Helena thinks for a moment about her conversation with Kazuki and the others about the tournament.

"Right now, we have our own problems," she said. "Kazuki will have to deal with the Mishimas on his own."

"Mother…!" said Bruno as he sits up. "Listen, everybody fights for different reasons. For family, for revenge, and for power. That's why they enter this tournament. Please, do not stop them from doing that. Whatever happens to me should not stop them from competing."

Helena pauses for a moment and closes her eyes to think about her decision. After making her decision, she opens her eyes.

"Alright, Bruno," she said. "The tournament will continue. But I will make sure that you will not be harmed again. I will not leave until then. You stay here and rest and I'll handle everything else."

"Right," said Bruno. Helena then walks out of the room. Bruno makes a fist and says "Who on Earth could be doing this?"

As Helena walks down the hallway, she walks into Bayman, who was patiently waiting for her come out of the room.

"Bayman?" she said.

"Donovan is the one behind the attacks on Bruno. If we don't do anything soon, he'll eliminate either you or him."

"Then I must find some more people who can help. Maybe Lars can help us."

"Lars?" said Bayman with surprised look.

"Yes!" said Helena. "I trusted Lars to protect me and he did. I am sure he will do the same for Bruno."

"There is more to it than that, isn't it?" asked Bayman.

"It is," said Helena. "Perhaps it's time to tell Lars the truth. I just didn't want Bruno to know just yet. But now…it's time. I was afraid it would burden Lars if I told him at the time. That's why I quickly returned to DOATEC after the war was over. Now, I have no reason to hide it any longer. I will let him know after the tournament."

Helena walks past Bayman who looks on. He starts thinking about the similarities between Kazuki and Bruno and says "Those two have more in common than anybody thinks. But how much? That is the real question."

Soon afterwards, Helena stands in the middle of the Dead or Alive ring with the crowd eagerly waiting to see what she is going to say. Most of the people expect her to cancel the tournament to care for her son.

With the microphone in hand, she raises it up to her mouth.

"As everybody know, one of our contestants, Bruno Douglas, has been seriously injured and will not be competing again tonight. However, his injuries are not severe and he will make a full recovery soon. Originally, the tournament was going to cancelled until we can find the culprit behind the attack was but at the urging of Bruno himself, the tournament…will continue!" she says as the crowd erupts with excitement.

Kazuki sits in his locker room, thinking hard about his battle with Bruno and the incident that interrupted it.

"I would have liked to finish our fight," he said to himself. "I hope we will some day but right now, there's another battle I must finish. A far more personal battle."

To Be Continued.


	22. The Redemption

**The Redemption**

Despite the unfortunate attack on Bruno, Helena has decided that the Dead or Alive Tournament will continue due to Bruno's urging. Now the tournament has progressed to where there's only a few contestants left.

The next fight in the tournament is another highly anticipated one but for different reasons. It's the battle between two fighters who share a certain bloodline.

Kazuki takes on Kazuya Mishima once again.

Hinata and Zhang watch from the audience with the kind of anticipation that's not unlike anybody else's.

"How surprising is this?" said Zhang. "Grandfather and grandson. I never thought I would see it this way."

"I really hope Kazuki kick his butt!" said Hinata. "I've heard all about this Kazuya guy growing up. It's really too bad Kazuki had to have a grandfather like that."

Kazuki slowly approaches Kazuya, who has back turned and arms folded.

"Still denying who you are, Kazuki?" asked Kazuya. "Why not wake up and accept what our bloodline has truly brought us?"

"I've seen what the Devil Gene is capable of," said Kazuki. "No matter what, I will never use something like that. No power is worth throwing away my humanity for."

Kazuya unfolds his arms and turns towards Kazuki, saying "You're a fool! Why would you suppress something that makes you stronger? If you continue to hold back your true potential, then you don't even deserve to live."

"That's where we differ, Kazuya. My true potential lies within what I've learned from the Mugen Tenshin Clan, not within the Devil Gene."

"You've learned nothing from our battle the first time. This battle will not be any different."

"Wrong. I've been through a lot since we first met. You'll see for yourself."

Kazuya chuckles and says "Have it your way, Kazuki."

Hayate and Ayane silently watches as the Kazuki and Kazuya get in their fighting stances.

Kazuya moves forward with a powerful punch. Kazuki avoids and, as with the first fight, can feel the wave from the fist as it misses his head. He then tries to land a punch himself but Kazuya blocks it and attempts to land another punch. However, Kazuki blocks the hit and does a jump kick that lands on Kazuya's chest, sending him backwards. However, Kazuya immediately rebounds with a powerful punch to Kazuki's chin. Kazuki retaliates with punches and kicks but they are all blocked. During the attacks, Kazuya sees an opening and lands a shot to Kazuki's body, followed by a kick to the same area that knocks him down. Kazuki gets up and looks at the smirking Kazuya. To show that he's not worried, Kazuki smiles back and with lightning speed, hits Kazuya in the stomach with an elbow shot. This attack catches Kazuya off guard, as he wasn't expecting Kazuki move that fast. Kazuki then follows up with a jumping roundhouse kick that knocks Kazuya down.

After getting up, the two fighters exchange punches and kicks that has the crowd cheering. After backing away from the exchange, the two fighters catch their breath until Kazuya resumes his offense against Kazuki. Kazuki blocks just his punch just in time and tries to counter with a punch of his own but Kazuya ducks under and lands another punch to the stomach, causing Kazuki to take knee. Kazuya then follows up with a kick but Kazuki catches his leg and lands a jumping kick to Kazuya's face, knocking him down. After getting up, Kazuya attempts another punch that, only for Kazuki to catch his arm and land a punch of his own to Kazuya's abdomen. The punch appears to stun Kazuya as he takes a step back. Kazuki attempts to take advantage of the opportunity to land another blow but Kazuya counters with an uppercut to the chin, knocking him down.

They both stand up, breathing heavily as the crowd roars in excitement. They both prepare to land the blow that end this fight. Lightning starts emitting from both of their fists as they rush toward each other. Right before either punch lands, Kazuki ducks under Kazuya's punch and lands his own punch to Kazuya's chest. The impact of the punch sends Kazuya flying across the ring and landing on his back.

Kazuki is the winner.

The crowd give their round of applause as they cheer for the winner.

"He did it!" said Ayane. "Kazuki truly has gotten better from our training."

"Yes, but he will have to keep it up if he wants to win the tournament," said Hayate. "If he's to fight Heihachi, he can't afford lose one step."

Kazuki walks over to the unconscious Kazuya and says "As you can see, the results are different. It's a pity that you took such a dark path but now that I've seen where it leads to, I know for sure that it's a path that I will not be taking. Now I must get ready for the next battle."

To Be Continued.


	23. The Revenge

**The Revenge**

After a grueling back and forth battle, Kazuki manages to come out the victor against Kazuya Mishima. Now as he proceeds through the tournament, his success has landed him in the finals where he comes face to face with one more opponent that he aims to defeat; Heihachi Mishima.

Much like Kazuki's match with Kazuya earlier, this match is also highly anticipated for similar reasons. The crowd cheers in excitement as they look at the two fighters in the ring.

For Hayate and Ayane, there is nothing to be excited about at this point.

"This is it, Kazuki," said Hayate. "This is your chance to avenge our clan. Everything we taught you has all come down to this. Now it's up to you to make it count."

"Please, don't hold back," said Ayane. "You have everything you need. Don't forget that!"

"Get him, Kazuki!" yelled Hinata. "You beat that old geezer Kazuya, you can beat this old geezer too!"

"All of this excitement is giving me chills," said Zhang. "Who would have thought that he would be fighting his grandfather and great-grandfather in one tournament? This is really…interesting!"

In the ring, Heihachi notices that Kazuki's eyes are much different than before. It's as if he had been through something lately. The way he was able to progress through the tournament and defeat Kazuya shows that this is not the same fighter he had fought before.

"Why did you attack my village?" asked Kazuki.

"It was all to make sure that you enter my next tournament," said Heihachi. "Attacking your village was the perfect way to draw you to me, so that I can finish what I had started. I must admit, your clan did put up a good fight. Shiden fought well until he was overwhelmed by the soldiers."

"My grandmother was also injured during your attack. She was shot in the arm."

"Yes, unfortunately. That was not part of my plan. I can't say that I'm happy about that…but I can say that I am about everything else. Your hatred for me is still apparent."

"You went too far, Heihachi. Attacking my village was the biggest mistake you've ever made. Now it's time that you pay for your actions!"

"Hehehe! If you want to disgrace the Mugen Tenshin Clan again, then go ahead and take your best shot. I was going to save this for my own tournament but doing it now would be just as satisfying. Now prepare to lose, boy!"

They get into their fighting stances.

Kazuki comes forward with a punch that's blocked by Heihachi, who returns with a punch of his own that gets blocked. Kazuki throws a fast combination of punches and kicks that are blocked by Heihachi. Heihachi then lands an elbow shot to Kazuki's forhead, causing it to bleed. He then follows up with a kick to the stomach that sends Kazuki across the ring. After standing up, Kazuki charges forward, appearing to go straight into Heihachi but instead, he teleports behind him and lands a punch to his back, sending Heihachi himself across the ring. Heihachi is surprised at Kazuki's speed, realizing that he seems faster than before. Kazuki then charges forward and their punches clash, with impact shaking the ring itself.

Heihachi then attempts to follow up with a chopping punch but Kazuki catches his arm and lands a knee to the abdomen, which stuns Heihachi. Before he can follow up, however, Heihachi recovers just in time to land a hard punch that sends Kazuki to the canvas. After getting up, Kazuki tries to punch, only get hit by an elbow strike to the chin, a kick to the side of his face, and a hammer fist to the back of his head, knocking him down.

Heihachi looks down at his opponent and says "What's the matter, Kazuki? Is that really all you got? I expected more from the Mugen Tenshin Clan."

While the crowd continues to cheer, Hayate and Ayane look with great concern on their faces as they see Kazuki lay on the canvas in front of Heihachi.

"Get up, Kazuki!" said Hayate.

"You must keep fighting!" said Ayane.

Zhang and Hinata look in horror as they wait to see if Kazuki will get up.

Just as Heihachi is about to stomp him, Kazuki quickly rolls out of the way and gets back on his feet. Heihachi is impressed by Kazuki's persistence.

"You are not one to give up," said Heihachi. "You are indeed worthy of the Mishima blood but you have yet to prove you are a worthy opponent for me."

Angered by the taunt, Kazuki launches forward with a punch but he misses his opponent as Heihachi ducks out of the way and lands a kick to Kazuki's abdomen. The hit forces Kazuki to take a knee, clutching his stomach in pain. Heihachi follows up with a chopping hit to Kazuki's spine, knocking him face down.

Heihachi then walks in front of Kazuki and pulls his head up by his hair.

"You are not ready, boy!" said Heihachi, as he slams Kazuki's face down and walks away.

Hayate and Ayane are worried, as are Zhang and Hinata. It appears that Kazuki has lost.

As he lays down, Kazuki could do nothing but think about what he has been through, such as being captured by MIST, his fight with Raidou, his village being attacked, and his intense training. All of this fuel his desire to keep fighting. For a brief moment, his eyes flash red…and it's that brief moment that Heihachi feels a familiar power, as if it's a recurring nightmare. He turns back around and as he does, he can see Kazuki slowly about to get up. Heihachi quickly walks back to finish him off. As he's about to land the final punch to end the fight, Kazuki catches his wrist. He quickly backs off to get a good look at Kazuki's face. Despite feeling the power of the Devil Gene, Heihachi notices that Kazuki hasn't transformed.

"It's not over yet, Heihachi!" said Kazuki.

"Hehehe! Then come on and get this over with!" said Heihachi. "If you think you still have a chance to defeat me, then come forward."

As Kazuki slowly walks forward, Heihachi dashes towards him to end the final blow. However, Kazuki ducks under the blow and counters with a summersault kick to Heihachi chin, catching him by surprise. After landing on his back, Heihachi gets up and smirks for a moment. He then charges forward at Kazuki again with a punch but Kazuki teleports behind him with an elbow strike to the spine. Kazuki launches forward and the two exchanges punches in brutally evenly fashion as the crowd goes wild.

During the exchange, Kazuki ducks under a punch and lands an elbow shot to Heihachi's abdomen. Just as Kazuki did earlier, Heihachi takes a knee and then looks up at Kazuki's stoic expression. He throws a few punches that misses their target. Kazuki counters with a powerful combination of punches that leave Heihachi dazed.

This is his chance to end the fight. Seizing the opportunity, Kazuki starts powerful technique with three strikes, teleporting between each one, before ending the attack and fight itself with a powerful flying knee strike that knocks Heihachi across the ring.

Heihachi is defeated.

The crowd cheers at the conclusion the match but Kazuki himself is not finished. He then jumps on the unconscious Heihachi and prepares to land one final punch with everything in it. His eyes flashes red once again as he's about to land the fatal blow. The crowd soon goes out of control.

"Kazuki, what are you doing? It's over!" yelled Hayate.

"Don't do it, Kazuki! You've already won!" yelled Ayane.

"Oh no! Is he going to kill him?" asked Zhang.

"Hey, don't do anything stupid!" yelled Hinata.

The crowd continues to go wild as they see Kazuki preparing to attack Heihachi some more.

But right before he is about to go through with it, he briefly sees himself in Heihachi's place. The image causes him to pause and drop his fist. He begins to think back to what was said by the others.

 _He who fights monsters should look to it himself that he does not become one, right? Well, at that moment, I realize that I had become a monster, the very thing that I was hunting down._

 _Do not pretend that you can't be different from Kazuya and Heihachi because you are._

 _Remember this, Kazuki; you can stare into the abyss as long as you want but what will you do when it stares back at you?_

He then drops his head and takes deep breath before finally away from Heihachi. He thinks back to one more thing that was said to him.

 _Your mother's words were always meaningful to me. She's one person who I'll always listen to…and you should as well, Kazuki. Believe me, I know what it's like to be taught by a loving mother. Make sure you always listen to her._

Kazuki then looks down at the still unconscious Heihachi.

"You should thank my mother Kasumi," said Kazuki. "It's because of the path she chose for me is why I will not go through with this," said Kazuki. "I've accomplished what I came here for and that's all I needed."

The crowd cheer loudly at Kazuki's decision.

"What a relief!" said Zhang. "It would have been terrible to see someone die in there."

"Yeah, I think I almost passed out!" said Hinata. "That lump head almost gave me a heart attack."

Hayate and Ayane also look in relief at seeing Kazuki make the right choice.

"That's my best pupil," said Hayate.

"And my nephew," said Ayane. Hayate looks at Ayane, surprised at her comment. He notices a happy expression on her face, which to him, means that she has finally accepted Kazuki as her family.

Kazuki smiles as he looks up, having made the biggest accomplishment in his life so far.

The news of Kazuki's victory quickly spread across the world. Kasumi soon hears the news at Muramasa's village.

"Kazuki!" said she said. "You remembered my teachings and you stayed with it. Hold on to them for as long as you live, my son."

Jin also gets the news as he watches the whole event on television at Violet Systems.

"Maybe he really is our only hope to end this curse," said Jin.

The news eventually reached to the Mugen Tenshin Village.

"Kazuki won!" said Ayame. "He really did it! Oh, Shiden! I'm so proud!

"Hmm…perhaps he could be the leader of this clan very soon," said Shiden. "It seems that Hayate would have a worthy successor indeed."

* * *

 **Mugen Tenshin Village**

After the tournament, the atmosphere around Kazuki has changed. The village are a lot more positive towards him now, having avenged them for the attacks by both against both Kazuya and Heihachi. He talks about his victory with Hayate, Ayane, and Hayabusa in the woods the next day.

"I may have finally defeated Kazuya and Heihachi but I feel that this is just the beginning," said Kazuki. "I have ways to go before I become a worthy leader."

"You're right," said Hayate. "There are many battles that lay ahead. You'll have to decide how you fight them."

"The path of the shinobi is a harsh one after all," said Kazuki. "But now I know that I am ready and as long as I am ready, I can walk that path with no worries at all."

"But also, don't forget about your allies," said Ayane. "As a clan, we stick together for all times."

"Do not forget who you are either, Kazuki," said Hayabusa. "You're responsible the path that you take and that path is what makes who you are."

Kazuki nods in agreement.

* * *

 **Violent Systems**

At the Violent Systems headquarters, Lars stands outside on the balcony, with something very heavy on his mind. He had just had a long conversation someone on the phone and seems to be in shock.

"I can't believe it," said Lars to himself. "All these years..."

Alisa walks up behind him during his thoughts.

"What's wrong, Lars?" asked Alisa. "Still thinking about what Helena told you?"

"Yes…it's really hard to believe," said Lars. "All these years, I had no idea. Why didn't she tell me this sooner?"

"She didn't want to burden you, Lars. She knew you were dedicated to stopping Heihachi. Don't be mad.

Lars pauses for a moment but slowly starts smiling.

"I'm not mad. I'm just surprised. I have no reason to be mad. After all, I never told her who my father was. So, we're both keeping secrets from each other…as well as from Bruno. If Jin can get close to his son after all these years, then I should be able to do the same with mine. Now that Helena has asked me to help him, I have a chance to do that."

He turns to walk back inside before stopping and saying "You know, it's ironic how everything has come full circle now. But unlike with me and Heihachi, this will be much a better relationship. I'm not letting the Mishima curse or Donovan get in the way of that." He then precedes walk inside.

"Well, isn't this one big happy family?" Alisa happily says.

* * *

 **MIST**

Sometime later in a hidden laboratory in an unknown location, Donovan sits in a chair with cellphone in hand. Standing next to him is Raidou, who survived the last battle against the fighters.

"Impressive of you to keep the samples safe, Christie," he said. "Now that we know that the Devil Gene can be cloned, we now know for certain that they're worth keeping. Now you and Rig just make sure that there won't be any more interferences with our next plan."

He then turns around to look at the tank containing a Kasumi clone. The body starts to glow a bright green light before slowly turning purple with red flashing eyes.

"A combination of Kasumi's Mugen Tenshin techniques and Kazuki's Devil Gene. The ultimate fighting weapon Alpha 181. Hahaha!"


End file.
